Brochure: Lafarge, Leader in a Sustainable World

A high level of expertise
Founded in 1833, Lafarge has built up cutting-edge
expertise in the cement production business.
Its unique knowledge of the production process
is used throughout the world, thanks to the
deployment of common tools that encourage
knowledge-sharing and performance analysis.
All these assets improve plant reliability, help control
maintenance costs and reduce energy consumption.
Cement plant, Teil, France (top).
Cement plant, Cairo, Egypt (bottom).
Various uses
The Cement Business Line produces ranges of
cements, hydraulic binders and lime for construction
and renovation. Cement is also one
of the main ingredients of concrete. Cement
production is Lafarge’s longest-standing field
of activity. The Group’s policy has long been
to increase its cement production capacities,
particularly in emerging countries. Developments
over recent years to improve performance
have thus enabled the Group to construct
plants more quickly and professionally.
PAGE 08 | LAFARGE
Cement: a universal,
modern material
50,000 employees
and 166 production
sites across
50 countries.
Essential in construction, cement is part of everyday life. Lafarge, number one
worldwide in cement, is developing its production capacities while respecting
the environment and local communities.
A combined effort
A cement plant requires a high level of integration
into the local social and economic climate.
Installing a plant involves an average investment
of €150 million and the plant itself will
be active for decades to come.
For Lafarge, the success of this installation is
dependent on listening to all the stakeholders:
the local authorities, associations, residents,
entrepreneurs and local craftsmen. A socially
and environmentally responsible approach,
involving dialogue and consultation with local
AT THE ORIGIN
communities, goes hand in hand with the installation
and use of production sites. To guarantee
sustainable development, Lafarge implements
environmental good practices, such as the use
of alternative fuels, which reduces the volume
of CO2 emissions.
Breakwater built to protect the
Hassan II Mosque, in Casablanca, Morocco.
Cement
Derived from the Latin cæmentum, meaning “unhewn stone”. Used in masonry,
it is also an essential ingredient of concrete.
HIGH TEMPERATURE
Cement manufacturing
requires the raw material
to be heated to almost
1,500 °C.
Physicochemical
transformation and CO2
emissions
Although the first
cement was produced
during Antiquity,
the current material is
the result of a highly
sophisticated industrial
process. Today’s cement
was discovered in
the 19th century and
is made up of four
components: limestone,
silica, alumina and
iron oxide. The mixture
is heated to a very
high temperature
(1,450 °C) to bring
about a physicochemical
reaction known
as “clinkerization”. It is
this process that is at
the origin of most of the
CO2 emissions released
by cement production.
LAFARGE | PAGE 09