Cairo – Mubasher: Lafarge Egypt announced on Wednesday that it has obtained the EcoLabel for a line of new products with lower CO2 emissions and increased use of recycled materials.

Introducing its Hydrocem and Hydrocem Plus products, a new range of green cement, Lafarge says it is the first cement company in Egypt to obtain the European label of environmental excellence.

“I am proud to be the first local cement maker to introduce EcoLabel products to the Egyptian market. Our Hydrocem Plus EcoLabel and Hydrocem EcoLabel represent the industry’s broadest range of green cement for high-performing, sustainable, and circular construction,” said Solomon Baumgartner Aviles, CEO and Chairman of Lafarge Egypt.

“With the rollout of this Green Cement, we are accelerating the transition to more sustainable building materials for greener construction,” he added.

Lafarge Egypt, a member of LafargeHolcim Group, emphasized its focus on the research and development (R&D) of carbon neutral and circular construction materials.

The CEO said that their biggest investment is in the knowhow, pointing to the company’s collaboration with the National Research Center (NRC), as one of the leading institutions in the MENA region.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Abdo, Commercial and Marketing Director of Lafarge Egypt, said “Egypt has outstanding opportunities to be a thriving market for environmentally friendly building solutions.”

“As the world’s largest cement producer and the leading player of the Egyptian market, we believe in Lafarge Egypt that we are committed to support our customers by providing sustainable building solutions,” he added.

He further noted that a shift towards sustainability by the cement industry in Egypt could help lower the country’s carbon emissions by 2%.

Abdo expects the local demand for cement will grow this year to 48 million tonnes, up from 45 million tonnes in 2020, as the government gradually resumes issuing building permits.

The press conference also witnessed the closing ceremony of Lafarge Egypt’s informative sustainability programme for media professionals.

It is worth noting that Mubasher was awarded first place prize of the programme's competition for sustainable development journalism for a feature discussing the environmental challenges of single-use plastics.