Holcim Philippines will invest US$35m in sustainability initiatives at its four plants over the next three years. The investments will also include US$17.5m for its waste management arm, Geocycle, increasing capacity for local government unit waste processing.
Chief sustainability officer Samuel Manlosa Jr. said “There is also a side where, if we want to take in more volume, we need to increase our capacity to shred and prepare the materials. Our cement plants, even as sophisticated and technologically advanced as they are, were constructed 20 years ago when norms were different, so we had to make changes in the process to make sure that the plants were able to accept more.”
The company will further invest between US$8.7m and US$17.5m in renewable energy and electrification of its vehicle fleet. President and CEO Horia Adrian said “We are purchasing electricity right now, but we have plans to put in place solar facilities and we are looking at the possibility of using electricity generated from biowaste here. By the end of 2024, some of them should be ready.”
He concluded that investments at the Bulacan and La Union plants are set to start this year, with those in Davao and Lugait scheduled for 2025.
