As Holcim’s North American spinoff begins to take shape, today’s announcement a missed opportunity to signal willingness to drive North American spinoff in a more sustainable direction

January 10, 2025 – Today Holcim announced Jan Jenisch, currently chairman of Holcim, as the designated Chairman and CEO as well as a board of directors of the company’s planned North American spinoff via an IPO. While the announcement includes representatives from the health care, private capital, and engineering and construction industries, Holcim hasn’t yet appointed leaders with strong track records in corporate sustainability or with expertise in decarbonization. 

In response to this announcement, Nachy Kanfer, a partner at Industrious Labs, released the following statement:

“Given that Holcim has touted its sustainability credibility for months, it’s disappointing to see the company did not take today’s opportunity to close the gap between language and action. Across its 13 North American cement plants, Holcim has a troubling, years-long track record of air and water quality violations, resulting in rising emissions from its cement products and lasting health impacts for neighboring communities. As the company’s North American spinoff continues to take shape, we urge Holcim to seize this opportunity to signal to future shareholders, buyers, and the communities it works in that it is ready and willing to drive its North American spinoff in a more sustainable direction that prioritizes innovative solutions and scaling up of cleaner cement alternatives, and that Holcim has a plan in place to break with its past pollution habits.” 

In the fall, Industrious Labs released an investor brief detailing Holcim’s troubling track record of repeated air and water quality violations at its North American cement facilities, as well as a scorecard for future potential shareholders to better understand Holcim’s performance on sustainability and decarbonization ahead of its proposed $30 billion spinoff via an IPO in 2025.