A CSR strategy organized around 3 pillars

CSR as the backbone of development

Since its creation in 2016, Hoffmann Green has focused its efforts on developing new clinker-free low carbon cements, thus contributing to decarbonation. The company, by the very nature of its activity, addresses the issues related to CO2 emissions. Thus, the more Hoffmann Green produces, the more CO2 emissions will be avoided, and the more resources will be conserved.

 

As a young company, Hoffmann Green has been committed since its creation to a progressive approach to build a global CSR strategy. In 2020 and 2021, external evaluations have provided an overview of the challenges facing Hoffmann Green.

Key Numbers

8486.02
tons of CO2 avoided in 2023 due to the use of Hoffmann cements

The tons of CO2 avoided are calculated by the CO2 gain obtained by replacing a traditional cement, according to the current cement consumption mix, by a decarbonated cement without clinker from Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies.

17289
tons of extracted limestone avoided in 2023

In 2023, the use of Hoffmann Green cement without clinker avoided the extraction of 17289 tons of limestone that would have been necessary for an equivalent production with traditional cement.

Hoffmann Green's CSR policy

Hoffmann Green’s new clinker-free low carbon cements aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction sector. However, the company’s activities involve it in other aspects. Since its creation, Hoffmann Green has been committed to developing a global and progressive CSR approach to support the company’s development.

A policy today organized around three axes.

  • RESPONSIBLE PRODUCER Responsible producer, which means minimizing the footprint on the environment and preserving resources.
  • RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER Being a responsible employer means ensuring optimal conditions for the development of new jobs and new professions linked to the company's activity. It also means working on employee health and safety issues.
  • RESPONSIBLE PARTNER Being a responsible partner means putting quality at the centre of the approaches. It also means thinking about modes of governance to meet the expectations of all stakeholders.

Reducing the carbon footprint

Reducing the carbon footprint of cement

Cement production alone accounts for 5 to 7% of the world’s CO2 emissions. The new 0% clinker cements developed by Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by a factor of almost 5 compared with traditional Portland cement (CEM I) thanks to a new industrial cold activation process without a hoven.

Unique low-carbon production sites in the world

At the end of 2018, Hoffmann Green Cement inaugurated its first pilot plant at the Bournezeau site in the Vendée region. With a production capacity of 50,000 metric tons, this first unit made it possible to test and refine a production process unique in the world: 

In 2023, a second production unit was commissioned with a production capacity of 250,000 metric tons. This plant is the first vertical cement plant in the world and is developing a revolutionary industrial process: 

  • Without furnace: co-products are activated cold in a mixer. 
  • No waste from the production process. 
  • Gravity-based production process to limit energy expenditure. 
  • Nearly a quarter of energy produced and consumed on site thanks to solar trackers. 

The verticality of this site also means the land area can be reduced to 1.5 hectares: the land area of “H2” is thus half that of “H1” while increasing production capacity fivefold. The optimised land footprint enables Hoffmann Green to preserve natural spaces. In May 2022, Hoffmann Green signed a 40-year Temporary Occupation Authorisation (AOT) for the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque (GPMD) in order to build the Company’s third production site, based on the H2 model, on five hectares of land by 2026. 

A commitment to reforestation to store carbon

For its contribution to carbon sinks, Hoffmann Green signed a partnership with Reforest’Action in 2018. As part of this partnership, Hoffmann Green Cement has supported the planting of 10,000 trees during the 2019-2020 season in Occitania. Certified B Corp, Reforest’Action is a company with a social vocation created in 2010 by Stéphane Hallaire, whose primary mission is to raise awareness and act for forests: to make as many people as possible aware of the power of forests and the need to protect them, to act by preserving and restoring forests in France and around the world.

Logo reforest action
Learn more about this action

Preserve natural resources

Favouring green electricity

Hoffmann Green produces and consumes almost a quarter of its energy needs directly at its production site using solar trackers. To supplement this self-consumption, Hoffmann Green signed a contract in 2020 to purchase green electricity from Engie to cover 100% of its consumption by 2021.

Reducing the use of natural resources

In 50 years, resource extraction has more than tripled worldwide. In total in 2017, the world removed nearly 44 billion metric tons of non-metallic minerals (sand, gravel, clay). 

Limestone extracted from a quarry is the raw material for traditional cements. Quarries are a source of pollution for the environment and nuisance for local residents and they also damage biodiversity. There are 3,600 active quarry operations in France, including around 500 that extract around 418,300 m3 of limestone per year.

The preservation of resources is at the heart of Hoffmann Green Cement’s action. Thus, all the solutions developed by Hoffmann Green use co-products (blast furnace slag, clay sludge, gypsum and desulfogypsum) as raw materials. In use, Hoffmann cements do not require more sand and water than traditional cement. 

Reducing the quantity of industrial waste

Entirely based on the principles of circular economy, Hoffmann’s cement production valorizes industrial by-products which become the main raw material for decarbonated cements. A virtuous approach applied at each stage of production which itself generates no waste. Incoming products are delivered by truck, stored in tanks, and pass through the production line on automated conveyors. No packaging is used in this way.

Developing new qualitative industrial jobs

Systematic annual individual interviews with each employee

The individual interviews allow us to take stock of each employee’s position and their potential changes and training needs. Given the young age and size of the company (52 employees in 2023), each position is new and unique. Each employee has a specific area of expertise and defined responsibilities.

Distribution of free shares to all employees

Following the IPO, the members of Hoffmann Green’s Board of Directors wanted to involve all employees in the future development of the company. All Hoffmann Green employees are shareholders of the company. Thus 0.3% of the capital is held by the employees.

Focus on long-term employment

Hoffmann Green favours long-term employment with a predominant share of permanent contracts (98,9% in 2023), which allows the company to build long-term relationships between the company and its employees. All employees are on long-term contracts, the rest are apprenticeship contracts that allow for the gradual integration and training of young workers.

Acting for health and safety in the workplace

Implementation of an occupational health and safety management system

The start-up of the first pilot plant was accompanied by the implementation of a safety policy under the responsibility of the operations manager. The production teams were called upon to establish, thanks to their feedback, “safety” criteria adapted to the production process.

Dust management in the plant

Dust control has been specifically treated to ensure air quality for operators in the plant. Thus the whole production is done in a closed process to limit the contact of air with the products. In December 2019, an assessment of dust exposure was carried out by CARSAT in order to have an inventory and actions to be implemented on this subject in the first pilot plant. The plans for the “H2” plant incorporated this initial feedback.

Guaranteeing quality

Continuous customer-oriented quality control

To guarantee the quality of these new cements, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has set up a quality control system at each stage of production. A team has been set up, to coordinate this monitoring and guarantee the same level of standards. 

Development of the quality laboratory

Hoffmann Green has developed a quality laboratory with a full-fledged team in direct contact with the production teams. A new laboratory was set up on the production site to optimise this quality monitoring. The new equipment deployed as well as the quality monitoring methodology made it possible to obtain AFNOR certification for H-IONA cements. 

In 2023, a quality laboratory was deployed at the Hoffmann Microtech plant. 

First clinker-free cement in the world validated under ATEx29 of case A by CSTB

After four years of physical, chemical and mechanical tests, H-UKR cement benefits from a Technical Assessment (ATEx of case A) issued by CSTB, the public company that guarantees the quality and safety of buildings. This assessment covers a very large number of structures ranging from single-family houses to high-rise buildings for structural applications (floors, walls, beams, posts, etc.). The design of H-UKR cement-based concrete structures is carried out in accordance with Eurocode 2 and Eurocode 8, calculation standards recognised in France and Europe. The Technical Assessment of Products and Materials (ETPM) of the H-UKR technology has just been enriched and further assesses the durability and quality of the H-UKR cement by validating the expected useful life of 100 years, thus opening the way for the use of H-UKR cement-based concrete in civil engineering structures (bridges, tunnels, etc.). 

The monitoring and continuous improvement of assessments made it possible in 2023 to further strengthen this ATEx with the recognition of reinforcement rules identical to those of standardised cements. 

Two new favourable assessments by CSTB for H-UKR

In 2022, Hoffmann Green continued the assessment plan for its H-UKR cement with two new assessments issued by the benchmark public company in terms of building quality, sustainability and safety. Identifiable thanks to the numbers 3019_V1 and 3020_V1, these two ATEx validate the use of H-UKR cement-based concrete for superstructure and foundation applications of all types of buildings: residential, public buildings, office buildings, high-rise buildings, etc. All applications used to create the interior and exterior structure of the building are targeted: footings, stringers, rafters, floors, columns, beams, walls and slabs.