Brochure: Lafarge, Leader in a Sustainable World

Waterway transport,
an exemplary solution
The motorway network surrounding Wakefield,
in the UK, can breathe more easily. Since 2001,
Lafarge has saved 25,000 truck journeys a year
after carrying out work on inland waterways
in collaboration with the British government and
local authorities. A single water-borne convoy
of 4,500 tons is equivalent to 180, 25-ton trucks.
This form of transportation is particularly suitable
for the product, as once excavated, aggregates
are transported directly to the crushing plant.
Transportation is carried out in a way that limits
environmental nuisance as much as possible,
at the same time as improving the safety of facilities.
Transporting aggregates by barge, Paris, France
(top right).
Sand quarry, Caversham, United Kingdom (bottom right).
All types of infrastructure
The pieces of rock may be natural (sand, gravel)
or may be obtained by crushing natural rock:
they are then known as aggregates. Recycled
aggregates are obtained by re-using materials
from buildings, highways and various industries.
In France, one million tons of aggregates are consumed
every day in the production of different
types of infrastructure (roads, bridges, hospitals,
housing, schools, etc.). There are different
types of aggregates for different uses.
Unprocessed, they are used as railway ballast.
When mixed with a binder, they are used to make
up various building materials. Mixed with cement,
PAGE 12 | LAFARGE
Aggregates, from
stones to buildings
they can be used to manufacture concrete.
Together with bitumen, they form asphalt, used
for bridges or to cover sports grounds. Available
underground in numerous parts of the world,
aggregates are extracted near construction sites,
to limit transportation.
Rehabilitating quarries
To protect the environment, Lafarge has diversified
its sources of raw materials and types of
mineral deposit (terrestrial, alluvial, marine, volcanic,
recycled). Any planned quarry is subject
to an ecological impact study and to consulta-
AT THE ORIGIN
On the French market
alone, the production
of aggregates is
estimated at 400 million
tons, i.e. 7 tons per
inhabitant.
Carried along by the growth of the construction sector, the use of raw materials
from rock has progressed rapidly.
tion with local partners (local authorities, elected
officials, inhabitants and environmental organizations).
The Group has also acquired valuable
experience in the rehabilitation of former extraction
sites, transforming quarries into natural habitats
where biodiversity is protected. Ecological
rehabilitation also involves restoring the social
and ecological character of the quarried land once
operations are at an end. This know-how calls
upon competences that the Group has been developing
for over 30 years, as part of a network of
agronomists, geologists, lawyers, and environmental
and land resource planners.
Highway, Morocco.
Aggregates
Pieces of rock used in the production of mortar and concrete and
in the construction of roads and railways.
PROCESSING
Some categories of aggregates
have to be put through extra processes
(washing, cyclone separation
and scrubbing) chiefly to render
their use more efficient.
Close dialogue
with local communities
Lafarge, in consultation
with local inhabitants,
undertakes to minimize
the impact of each new
quarry, in terms of
transportation,
environment, etc.
This process
of collaboration requires
consultation, respect,
sustainability and,
of course, rehabilitation
once operations are
complete.
LAFARGE | PAGE 13