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The Carbon Trust Standard encourages good practice in carbon measurement, management and reduction and is an important next step in Lafarge’s ongoing commitment to managing its businesses sustainably. It confirms that Lafarge A&C UK has genuinely taken active steps to reduce its carbon footprint and is committed to making further reductions year-on-year.

As part of the Standard’s assessment Lafarge A&C UK will now be measured against three criteria including: Carbon Footprint measurement; Carbon Management and Carbon Reduction Performance and assessed independently.

Lafarge A&C UK has been developing innovative methods of measuring and actively managing its energy use and carbon footprint in its preparation to achieve the Standard. It has introduced, for example, a Display Energy Certificate scheme, similar to the scheme for white goods and homes, that measure and tracks energy use, and carbon emissions, at all its sites in an easy-to-understand way.

Commenting on the Carbon Trust Standard Application, Managing Director – Aggregates, Robert Whetstone said:

“The application for Carbon Trust Standard is another milestone in our continuous drive towards operating our businesses in ever more environmentally sustainable ways. We are constantly looking at ways to reduce our environmental footprint by reducing energy use, using energy in smarter more effective ways; reducing wasted energy and adopting more efficient or innovative technologies and processes that reduce the need for energy.”

Lafarge Aggregates’ application for the Carbon Trust Standard is one aspect of its approach to sustainability. Full details of its ‘Five Capitals Model’ of sustainability, can be found on its website www.lafarge.co.uk.

This model sets out its sustainability ambitions in respect of five key areas:

1. Our people – ensuring employees are safe, healthy, motivated and recognised for their competence and pride in the company
2. Our products and services – providing products and services in the most sustainable manner
3. Our partners and communities – balancing the needs of our partners and communities to achieve common goals.
4. Our legacy – ensuring the business fulfils its responsibility in delivering One Planet Living and environmental sustainability
5. Our finances – managing the business so that continued financial success and sustainable growth is achieved.

NOTES TO EDITORS
• The Lafarge Group is the world leader in building materials, with top-ranking positions in all of its businesses: Cement, Aggregates & Concrete and Gypsum.

• Lafarge A&C UK is part of the world's largest building materials group and is a major UK supplier of innovative concretes and asphalts, rock, sand and gravel and waste management services. Lafarge A&C UK is proud of its hands-on approach to sustainability, which includes award-winning quarry restoration, the careful management of two National Nature Reserves and the development of sustainable, low-energy homes. Innovation and architectural creativity are at the heart of Lafarge's priorities and in 2010, for the sixth year in a row, Lafarge was listed in the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’*.

• For additional information, or interview or photo’ requests, please contact Richard Halderthay, Head of Communications on 07972 533728 or by email at richard.halderthay@lafarge.com. Alternatively please find further information on the web site at www.lafarge.co.uk.  

• Find ‘Lafarge UK’ on Facebook.

• Source: Corporate Knights Inc.  www.global100.com