這場(chǎng)在和平和文明的氣氛中進(jìn)行的抗議,可能是有史以來(lái)最具有瑞士特色的抗議活動(dòng)。9月,在風(fēng)景如畫的盧塞恩市舉辦的一場(chǎng)古典音樂(lè)會(huì)上,兩名氣候活動(dòng)家將自己粘在了舞臺(tái)上。樂(lè)隊(duì)的表演被迫中止,令觀眾大為不滿。
經(jīng)過(guò)短暫的談判之后,樂(lè)隊(duì)指揮弗拉基米爾·尤洛夫斯基宣布了談判結(jié)果:所有觀眾將聽兩位年輕的抗議者陳述他們的主張,然后音樂(lè)會(huì)繼續(xù)進(jìn)行??棺h者的要求既不是停止石油開采,也不是讓所有人停止坐飛機(jī)或開車,更不是要求任由地球被毀滅的老一輩領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者們下臺(tái)。相反,他們的主張截然不同。他們要求瑞士到2030年翻新所有住宅,使房子冬暖夏涼,同時(shí)又能減少能源消耗。
發(fā)生在盧塞恩市的這段傳奇故事,在四分鐘后結(jié)束。但自2022年以來(lái),“翻新瑞士”(Renovate Switzerland)運(yùn)動(dòng)已經(jīng)組織了數(shù)十次類似的抗議活動(dòng),有些抗議活動(dòng)更激進(jìn),例如抗議者用類似的做法將自己粘在路面上堵住日內(nèi)瓦湖大橋,或者抗議者在車水馬龍的城市街道中央緩慢行進(jìn)阻礙交通等。這些抗議活動(dòng)的共同點(diǎn)是,都緊急呼吁減少產(chǎn)生高二氧化碳排放的“建筑環(huán)境”。
他們的要求有一定的道理。當(dāng)人們都在關(guān)注汽車、卡車和飛機(jī)的時(shí)候,事實(shí)證明房屋建筑才是全球最大的二氧化碳排放源,該行業(yè)的排放量占比高達(dá)驚人的39%。其中,水泥在建筑、橋梁和人行道上無(wú)處不在,僅水泥生產(chǎn)就產(chǎn)生了約四分之一的排放。這是因?yàn)?,水泥生產(chǎn)離不開化學(xué)過(guò)程和大量熱量,通常主要消耗的都是化石燃料。
歸根結(jié)底,呼吁更綠色的建筑環(huán)境,實(shí)際上是呼吁水泥和混凝土變得更環(huán)保,降低生產(chǎn)過(guò)程的能源密集強(qiáng)度,并且適用于節(jié)能建筑。積極采用更多環(huán)保型水泥,能夠創(chuàng)造更多建筑崗位,降低居民的能源支出,讓幾乎每一個(gè)國(guó)家和機(jī)構(gòu)更接近于實(shí)現(xiàn)零排放目標(biāo)。
這聽起來(lái)確實(shí)是一種雙贏。但綠色水泥為什么沒(méi)有成為全球建筑業(yè)的通行標(biāo)準(zhǔn)?
在盧塞恩市東北幾英里的地方,一家歐洲的《財(cái)富》世界500強(qiáng)公司正在為之而努力。位于瑞士楚格的豪瑞(Holcim)是除中國(guó)以外全球最大的水泥公司,年產(chǎn)能高達(dá)2.6億公噸。數(shù)十年來(lái),豪瑞一直是一家全球巨頭,它在上一個(gè)財(cái)年的營(yíng)收超過(guò)300億美元。這意味著它應(yīng)該為水泥行業(yè)的很大一部分歷史碳足跡負(fù)責(zé)。但豪瑞正在努力參與解決環(huán)境問(wèn)題,研發(fā)低排放水泥和混凝土,同時(shí)設(shè)計(jì)用于建設(shè)能源中性建筑的材料。
如果豪瑞的生態(tài)策略成功,它將維持業(yè)內(nèi)主導(dǎo)地位,同時(shí)讓它成為歐洲和全球其他公司學(xué)習(xí)的榜樣。過(guò)去十年,豪瑞取得了顯著進(jìn)展。問(wèn)題是,它進(jìn)步的速度是否足以保護(hù)地球,并驅(qū)除它以往釋放出來(lái)的“惡魔”。
“廢棄物專家”的新挑戰(zhàn)
10年前,豪瑞瑞士子公司的董事克萊門斯·沃根鮑爾收到了蘇黎世建筑公司埃伯哈特(Eberhardt)的要求,他從那時(shí)候才開始考慮低碳水泥。豪瑞能否幫助埃伯哈特處理建筑和拆除垃圾,甚至將其回收再利用,制成新水泥和混凝土?這個(gè)問(wèn)題既簡(jiǎn)單又棘手。
沃根鮑爾很熟悉處理建筑和拆除垃圾的工作;事實(shí)上,他在豪瑞內(nèi)部就以“廢棄物專家”而著稱。但垃圾再利用是一種全新的理念,而且它的出現(xiàn)可以說(shuō)是恰逢正確的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)。
至少?gòu)墓帕_馬時(shí)代以來(lái),歐洲人一直采用類似的做法重新利用建筑垃圾,將舊建筑的磚石重新用于建設(shè)新建筑。(筆者在比利時(shí)的家人曾經(jīng)擁有一處房產(chǎn),在其中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一處八世紀(jì)教堂的遺址,這座教堂的建設(shè)就使用了來(lái)自古代羅馬別墅的石頭。這座“回收再利用”的教堂矗立了近千年之久。)但到二十世紀(jì)末,歐洲和全世界的建筑規(guī)范均禁止重新使用或回收再利用拆除垃圾,包括美國(guó)在內(nèi)。美國(guó)是豪瑞最大的市場(chǎng),為其貢獻(xiàn)了超過(guò)100億美元年度營(yíng)收。這種謹(jǐn)慎有一個(gè)合理的理由:例如,事實(shí)證明,上世紀(jì)50年代至90年代使用的一些低質(zhì)量建材壽命只有30年,導(dǎo)致這類建材被禁止使用。但有一些研究人員直到最近依舊認(rèn)為,即使回收利用強(qiáng)度更大的混凝土所生產(chǎn)的材料,也達(dá)不到原始材料的強(qiáng)度,因此這是一種危險(xiǎn)的工具。
但當(dāng)沃根鮑爾著手解決這個(gè)問(wèn)題時(shí),人們對(duì)再生材料的心態(tài)開始發(fā)生變化,尤其是在內(nèi)陸國(guó)家瑞士。在多山的瑞士,其人口主要生活在夾在阿爾卑斯山和汝拉山脈之間的狹長(zhǎng)地帶,被稱為“中部地區(qū)”。瑞士的城市、湖泊、農(nóng)業(yè)、工業(yè)都集中在這片平原上;沒(méi)有人希望這片珍貴的土地淪為建筑垃圾場(chǎng)。因此,到2000年代,瑞士對(duì)建筑和拆除垃圾的回收再利用已經(jīng)相當(dāng)成熟,而且瑞士監(jiān)管部門也在積極推廣這種做法。
沃根鮑爾和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)有自己的理由去實(shí)現(xiàn)埃伯哈特的愿望。首先,再生水泥可能是一種新收入來(lái)源。畢竟,埃伯哈特為了處理建筑垃圾需要付費(fèi),因此它愿意向豪瑞付費(fèi)來(lái)完成這項(xiàng)任務(wù)。如果豪瑞能將建筑垃圾用于新產(chǎn)品,它就可以有兩次收入機(jī)會(huì):一次是在接收埃伯哈特的建筑垃圾時(shí),第二次則是在出售再生水泥產(chǎn)品的時(shí)候。
同樣重要的是,如何將再生水泥納入豪瑞未來(lái)的商業(yè)模式。如果沃根鮑爾的瑞士團(tuán)隊(duì)能夠解決建筑拆除垃圾回收再利用這個(gè)難題,公司在二氧化碳排放方面將從元兇變成英雄。
“建筑脫碳”與出售水泥
豪瑞高層也在發(fā)生變化。2017年,豪瑞任命瑞士化工公司西卡(Sika)的負(fù)責(zé)人簡(jiǎn)·杰尼施為新任CEO。作為一個(gè)局外人,杰尼施意識(shí)到,豪瑞需要做出改變,才能在21世紀(jì)保持競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。
1912年,豪瑞誕生于瑞士小鎮(zhèn)亨德爾伯格,豪瑞是海德爾伯格水泥公司(Holderberg Ciment)的縮寫。自成立以來(lái),該公司一直在通過(guò)并購(gòu)和擴(kuò)大產(chǎn)量不斷擴(kuò)張。水泥是一種商品,而豪瑞一直以來(lái)的經(jīng)營(yíng)理念是越大越好,而最大自然是最好的。但2015年豪瑞并購(gòu)長(zhǎng)期競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手、法國(guó)公司拉法基(Lafarge)之后,基本上已經(jīng)沒(méi)有重要的收購(gòu)目標(biāo)。同樣重要的是,政府和公共輿論對(duì)水泥行業(yè)每年的大量二氧化碳排放日益不滿。豪瑞要繼續(xù)維持主導(dǎo)地位,必須從各方面做出改變。
杰尼施對(duì)筆者表示:“在加入豪瑞時(shí),我發(fā)現(xiàn)這家全球最大的建材公司,有強(qiáng)大的、本地化的業(yè)務(wù),有2,300個(gè)生產(chǎn)基地,采取準(zhǔn)時(shí)供應(yīng)模式。”但他也意識(shí)到,讓豪瑞走到2017年的策略,不見(jiàn)得能讓它在2027年甚至更遠(yuǎn)的將來(lái)繼續(xù)繁榮發(fā)展。他說(shuō)道:“你必須思考未來(lái)市場(chǎng)的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)?!?/p>
他堅(jiān)信,隨著全世界人口的增長(zhǎng)和城市化的不斷發(fā)展,未來(lái)的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)依舊將包括增長(zhǎng)和新建筑。但發(fā)展的基礎(chǔ)將變得截然不同:它們應(yīng)該基于創(chuàng)新和可持續(xù)發(fā)展,而不是靠商品和數(shù)量。其他任何方式都無(wú)法獲得全社會(huì)認(rèn)可。
為了實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的使命,杰尼施招募了多位新人,包括法國(guó)工程師馬加利·安德森。她的職業(yè)生涯大部分時(shí)間都在石油行業(yè)負(fù)責(zé)安全事務(wù)。安德森加入豪瑞時(shí)擔(dān)任安全主管,但她很快擔(dān)任了一個(gè)更重要的崗位:豪瑞首位首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官。
新團(tuán)隊(duì)馬上開始執(zhí)行新策略,并促使公司在2020年9月做出了到2050年實(shí)現(xiàn)“凈零排放”的承諾。豪瑞將其在業(yè)內(nèi)的角色重新解釋為“建筑脫碳”,而不是銷售水泥。對(duì)于局外人來(lái)說(shuō),這種說(shuō)法可能有一種漂綠的感覺(jué),類似于一家煙草公司聲稱其希望人們停止吸煙。但新策略的每一部分背后都有一個(gè)客觀的商業(yè)邏輯。脫碳要么降低成本,要么創(chuàng)造額外收入。
筆者參觀了豪瑞位于瑞士??死嫷囊患夜S,看到了公司的多個(gè)脫碳機(jī)制正在運(yùn)行。豪瑞大幅減少了化石燃料消耗,通過(guò)使用廢棄燃料,即燃燒豪瑞收費(fèi)處理的材料,創(chuàng)造了額外的收入來(lái)源。爐窯的直播視頻顯示了被切碎的舊輪胎和生物質(zhì)材料,如何被投入爐中。這座工廠還重新設(shè)計(jì)了混凝土的成分:公司不再通過(guò)高二氧化碳強(qiáng)度的工藝粉碎石灰石制成“水泥熟料”,而是盡可能使用煅燒黏土和其他低排放材料。
在建筑項(xiàng)目中,豪瑞同樣致力于以更少的材料建設(shè)更優(yōu)質(zhì)的建筑。公司借鑒古羅馬時(shí)代的做法,嘗試?yán)弥亓蚪饘賷A具固定拱形結(jié)構(gòu),而不是使用砂漿。在地板施工中,豪瑞只會(huì)在混凝土有結(jié)構(gòu)效應(yīng)的時(shí)候使用混凝土,而且盡可能使用更輕、二氧化碳強(qiáng)度更低的產(chǎn)品組合。為了彌補(bǔ)水泥或混凝土銷量的損失,豪瑞將為其產(chǎn)品開發(fā)出新應(yīng)用。
最后,豪瑞將從更全面的角度看待其在建筑行業(yè)的角色。如果公司的混凝土墻和地板,變成可通過(guò)碳中和的方式供暖和制冷的建筑的組成部分會(huì)怎樣?如果公司的混凝土能夠適用于綠色城市建筑,而不是與這種理念相抵觸,結(jié)果會(huì)怎樣?
在法國(guó)里昂全球創(chuàng)新中心改造項(xiàng)目中,工程師團(tuán)隊(duì)提出了各種創(chuàng)新方案。去年夏末,筆者參觀了該項(xiàng)目,并在那里看到了這些工作在短短幾年內(nèi)帶來(lái)的成果:例如,屋頂使用的一種超輕隔熱層,觸感更像是巧克力慕斯,而不是混凝土,更適合炎熱的氣候?;蛘呋煊兄参锓N子的混凝土墻,隨著雨水不斷浸入,這些墻壁就會(huì)變成巴比倫式的空中花園。
許多創(chuàng)新依舊類似于車企的概念車:其目的是證明公司的想象力和設(shè)計(jì)實(shí)力,但目前尚未變成具有現(xiàn)實(shí)世界影響的產(chǎn)品。依舊有越來(lái)越多產(chǎn)品正在突破障礙,從理論應(yīng)用到實(shí)踐。維也納最近完工的一座學(xué)校就是很好的例子:豪瑞稱,這所學(xué)校在今年早些時(shí)候完工,全部使用了該公司最先進(jìn)的產(chǎn)品,能夠通過(guò)內(nèi)部地?zé)峁に嚌M足90%的能源需求。
而在法國(guó)和肯尼亞,豪瑞一直在試驗(yàn)3D打印住宅和橋梁,作為一種可持續(xù)解決方案。3D打印技術(shù)使承包商和建筑商可以只在必要時(shí)使用混凝土;豪瑞稱,這意味著3D打印建筑在強(qiáng)度不變的情況下,所使用的材料可減少50%。
疫情帶來(lái)的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)
2020年,新冠疫情幾乎使全球經(jīng)濟(jì)陷入停滯。一年的大部分時(shí)間里,豪瑞全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)團(tuán)隊(duì)的大多數(shù)人都被困在瑞士。
事實(shí)證明,對(duì)于克萊門斯·沃根鮑爾和他的本地團(tuán)隊(duì)而言,這是一次幸運(yùn)的機(jī)會(huì)。經(jīng)過(guò)多年來(lái)在產(chǎn)品研發(fā)方面的投資,并且在投入大量時(shí)間說(shuō)服監(jiān)管委員會(huì)之后,他們的Susteno水泥進(jìn)入瑞士市場(chǎng)已經(jīng)有兩年時(shí)間。這款水泥有20%來(lái)自再生拆除垃圾。疫情期間的封鎖,使沃根鮑爾有機(jī)會(huì)向無(wú)處可逃的觀眾展示他們的產(chǎn)品,這些觀眾就是全球總部的同事,他們本應(yīng)該到世界各地出差,去豪瑞的其他子公司參加會(huì)議。
Susteno大獲成功。沃根鮑爾說(shuō)道:“我感覺(jué)非常吃驚。但我很高興看到集團(tuán)[對(duì)我們的產(chǎn)品]的開放態(tài)度。它出現(xiàn)在正確的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)??芍^天時(shí)地利人和。”
不久之后,杰尼施和他的高管團(tuán)隊(duì)開始加速執(zhí)行全球脫碳策略。2020年7月,豪瑞推出了一種混凝土Ecopact,可將其在最大市場(chǎng)美國(guó)的二氧化碳足跡降低至少30%。2021年和2022年,豪瑞先后推出了更多“生態(tài)”產(chǎn)品,包括綠色水泥Ecoplanet和直接受到Susteno回收再利用品牌啟發(fā)而開發(fā)的一系列再生產(chǎn)品Ecocycle。
這些年證明豪瑞的策略是正確的,而催化這一策略的瑞士創(chuàng)新是有效的。目前,Ecopact和Ecoplanet成為豪瑞的拳頭產(chǎn)品,每一款產(chǎn)品的全球銷售額都超過(guò)十億美元。 “生態(tài)”系列產(chǎn)品幫助豪瑞在2022年獲得創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的營(yíng)收和利潤(rùn),到2023年秋,豪瑞接近五分之一的全球銷售額來(lái)自生態(tài)品牌。在美國(guó),亞馬遜(Amazon)成為Ecopact的大客戶,其位于弗吉尼亞州北部的新數(shù)據(jù)倉(cāng)庫(kù)就使用了這種混凝土,這進(jìn)一步提高了該品牌在豪瑞最大市場(chǎng)的可信度。 兩家公司表示,該項(xiàng)目使用的混凝土拌合料將混凝土的二氧化碳足跡降低了39%。
豪瑞還證明,它有能力在實(shí)現(xiàn)收入增長(zhǎng)的同時(shí),減少溫室氣體排放。據(jù)豪瑞計(jì)算,自上世紀(jì)90年代以來(lái),生產(chǎn)每噸水泥的二氧化碳排放量減少了29%。公司還實(shí)現(xiàn)了產(chǎn)品組合的多元化。自2020年以來(lái),公司每美元凈銷售額的二氧化碳排放量減少了43%,這要?dú)w功于價(jià)格上漲、其水泥和混凝土的二氧化碳強(qiáng)度持續(xù)下降以及其他二氧化碳強(qiáng)度更低的建筑產(chǎn)品銷售增長(zhǎng)。豪瑞的總體氣候目標(biāo)是到2050年實(shí)現(xiàn)碳中和,現(xiàn)在這個(gè)目標(biāo)有所謂的“科學(xué)碳目標(biāo)”作為依據(jù)。實(shí)際上,這意味著如果每一家公司都像豪瑞一樣,從現(xiàn)在到2050年,全球溫升幅度將被限制到1.5攝氏度,而不是繼續(xù)目前超過(guò)2.5攝氏度的溫升路徑。
法律訴訟和監(jiān)管障礙
豪瑞最近的轉(zhuǎn)型是一次引人注目的逆轉(zhuǎn)故事。幾年前,這家公司還被氣候活動(dòng)家們視為罪魁禍?zhǔn)?,現(xiàn)在它在竭盡全力證明它是綠色轉(zhuǎn)型的盟友。但要保持在可持續(xù)發(fā)展方面的優(yōu)勢(shì),豪瑞將必須擺脫它更遙遠(yuǎn)的過(guò)去。
在瑞士,豪瑞陷入了一起來(lái)自太平洋海島居民群體的訴訟,可能開創(chuàng)先例。原告來(lái)自印度尼西亞巴厘島。太平洋有許多海島因?yàn)槿蜃兣瘜?dǎo)致的海平面上升受到嚴(yán)重影響,巴厘島就是其中之一。原告向楚格法院主張,因?yàn)楹廊鹨獙?duì)溫室氣體排放負(fù)責(zé),要求豪瑞支付損害賠償。他們認(rèn)為,溫室氣體排放是他們生活環(huán)境惡化的罪魁禍?zhǔn)?。根?jù)氣候責(zé)任研究所(Climate Accountability Institute)受一家支持原告的非政府組織委托發(fā)布的報(bào)告顯示,豪瑞及其前身要為全球戰(zhàn)后0.4%的二氧化碳排放負(fù)責(zé),相當(dāng)于超過(guò)70億噸溫室氣體。如果法官裁定豪瑞負(fù)責(zé),可能讓其他地區(qū)受影響的群體提起更多類似訴訟,這會(huì)危及公司的未來(lái)。
監(jiān)管也是公司持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)路上的阻礙。例如,雖然豪瑞在瑞士被允許回收再利用建筑垃圾,美國(guó)的建筑規(guī)范卻禁止這種做法。豪瑞對(duì)筆者表示,如果任何美國(guó)客戶想在混凝土建筑中使用再生水泥,只能采用變通的方法。例如,為了遵守本地規(guī)定,亞馬遜倉(cāng)庫(kù)必須使用從西班牙運(yùn)來(lái)的低碳水泥,然后在美國(guó)生產(chǎn)混凝土。豪瑞需要讓更多監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)相信,再生水泥是可行的,否則公司的可持續(xù)轉(zhuǎn)型會(huì)面臨巨大阻礙。
杰尼施關(guān)注的重點(diǎn)顯然是與監(jiān)管部門的談判,而不是豪瑞面臨的官司。關(guān)于與島民的訴訟,他表示:“我并不認(rèn)為任何人能夠接受歷史責(zé)任。更重要的是我們現(xiàn)在采取哪些行動(dòng)。我希望能加入其中?!?/p>
但杰尼施需要全力以赴應(yīng)對(duì)監(jiān)管挑戰(zhàn)。今年夏天,馬加利·安德森宣布卸任豪瑞首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官。新任首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官諾萊戈·弗雷斯特與前任一樣,也沒(méi)有接受過(guò)工程或安全訓(xùn)練。但她擅長(zhǎng)政府事務(wù)和傳播,并在陶氏(Dow)、杜邦(DuPont)和美國(guó)香精生產(chǎn)商芬美意(Firmenich)等公司不斷提升自己的技能。弗雷斯特對(duì)筆者表示,她目前的主要工作任務(wù)是讓監(jiān)管部門接受豪瑞在建筑行業(yè)的可持續(xù)性遠(yuǎn)景,尤其是為豪瑞貢獻(xiàn)了大部分銷售額的美國(guó)和歐盟。她表示,豪瑞正在考慮的一種策略是說(shuō)服有影響力的大州的監(jiān)管部門,例如加州,讓他們相信豪瑞的做法是有效的,目的是在全國(guó)形成雪球效應(yīng)。在其他綠色技術(shù)監(jiān)管方面,包括電動(dòng)汽車領(lǐng)域,這是一種經(jīng)過(guò)反復(fù)驗(yàn)證的方法。
弗雷斯特和她的同事需要爭(zhēng)取的一個(gè)利益相關(guān)者是“翻新瑞士”項(xiàng)目。這并不是說(shuō)該組織不欣賞豪瑞迄今為止所做的工作。該組織的發(fā)言人瑪麗·塞德爾通過(guò)電話對(duì)筆者表示:“據(jù)我們所知,許多工作非常出色,但也有一些是虛假承諾?!笨傊?,該組織依舊不相信,一家商業(yè)模式依賴水泥和混凝土的公司,會(huì)成為碳中和世界的支持者。塞德爾表示:“我們的社會(huì)目前需要的是,徹底改變我們看待氣候危機(jī)的態(tài)度。如果豪瑞認(rèn)真對(duì)待這個(gè)問(wèn)題,他們應(yīng)該徹底停止建設(shè)排放二氧化碳的建筑,而不只是減少30%。”換言之,“翻新瑞士”認(rèn)為,2050年應(yīng)該從明天開始。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
這場(chǎng)在和平和文明的氣氛中進(jìn)行的抗議,可能是有史以來(lái)最具有瑞士特色的抗議活動(dòng)。9月,在風(fēng)景如畫的盧塞恩市舉辦的一場(chǎng)古典音樂(lè)會(huì)上,兩名氣候活動(dòng)家將自己粘在了舞臺(tái)上。樂(lè)隊(duì)的表演被迫中止,令觀眾大為不滿。
經(jīng)過(guò)短暫的談判之后,樂(lè)隊(duì)指揮弗拉基米爾·尤洛夫斯基宣布了談判結(jié)果:所有觀眾將聽兩位年輕的抗議者陳述他們的主張,然后音樂(lè)會(huì)繼續(xù)進(jìn)行??棺h者的要求既不是停止石油開采,也不是讓所有人停止坐飛機(jī)或開車,更不是要求任由地球被毀滅的老一輩領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者們下臺(tái)。相反,他們的主張截然不同。他們要求瑞士到2030年翻新所有住宅,使房子冬暖夏涼,同時(shí)又能減少能源消耗。
發(fā)生在盧塞恩市的這段傳奇故事,在四分鐘后結(jié)束。但自2022年以來(lái),“翻新瑞士”(Renovate Switzerland)運(yùn)動(dòng)已經(jīng)組織了數(shù)十次類似的抗議活動(dòng),有些抗議活動(dòng)更激進(jìn),例如抗議者用類似的做法將自己粘在路面上堵住日內(nèi)瓦湖大橋,或者抗議者在車水馬龍的城市街道中央緩慢行進(jìn)阻礙交通等。這些抗議活動(dòng)的共同點(diǎn)是,都緊急呼吁減少產(chǎn)生高二氧化碳排放的“建筑環(huán)境”。
他們的要求有一定的道理。當(dāng)人們都在關(guān)注汽車、卡車和飛機(jī)的時(shí)候,事實(shí)證明房屋建筑才是全球最大的二氧化碳排放源,該行業(yè)的排放量占比高達(dá)驚人的39%。其中,水泥在建筑、橋梁和人行道上無(wú)處不在,僅水泥生產(chǎn)就產(chǎn)生了約四分之一的排放。這是因?yàn)?,水泥生產(chǎn)離不開化學(xué)過(guò)程和大量熱量,通常主要消耗的都是化石燃料。
歸根結(jié)底,呼吁更綠色的建筑環(huán)境,實(shí)際上是呼吁水泥和混凝土變得更環(huán)保,降低生產(chǎn)過(guò)程的能源密集強(qiáng)度,并且適用于節(jié)能建筑。積極采用更多環(huán)保型水泥,能夠創(chuàng)造更多建筑崗位,降低居民的能源支出,讓幾乎每一個(gè)國(guó)家和機(jī)構(gòu)更接近于實(shí)現(xiàn)零排放目標(biāo)。
這聽起來(lái)確實(shí)是一種雙贏。但綠色水泥為什么沒(méi)有成為全球建筑業(yè)的通行標(biāo)準(zhǔn)?
在盧塞恩市東北幾英里的地方,一家歐洲的《財(cái)富》世界500強(qiáng)公司正在為之而努力。位于瑞士楚格的豪瑞(Holcim)是除中國(guó)以外全球最大的水泥公司,年產(chǎn)能高達(dá)2.6億公噸。數(shù)十年來(lái),豪瑞一直是一家全球巨頭,它在上一個(gè)財(cái)年的營(yíng)收超過(guò)300億美元。這意味著它應(yīng)該為水泥行業(yè)的很大一部分歷史碳足跡負(fù)責(zé)。但豪瑞正在努力參與解決環(huán)境問(wèn)題,研發(fā)低排放水泥和混凝土,同時(shí)設(shè)計(jì)用于建設(shè)能源中性建筑的材料。
如果豪瑞的生態(tài)策略成功,它將維持業(yè)內(nèi)主導(dǎo)地位,同時(shí)讓它成為歐洲和全球其他公司學(xué)習(xí)的榜樣。過(guò)去十年,豪瑞取得了顯著進(jìn)展。問(wèn)題是,它進(jìn)步的速度是否足以保護(hù)地球,并驅(qū)除它以往釋放出來(lái)的“惡魔”。
“廢棄物專家”的新挑戰(zhàn)
10年前,豪瑞瑞士子公司的董事克萊門斯·沃根鮑爾收到了蘇黎世建筑公司埃伯哈特(Eberhardt)的要求,他從那時(shí)候才開始考慮低碳水泥。豪瑞能否幫助埃伯哈特處理建筑和拆除垃圾,甚至將其回收再利用,制成新水泥和混凝土?這個(gè)問(wèn)題既簡(jiǎn)單又棘手。
沃根鮑爾很熟悉處理建筑和拆除垃圾的工作;事實(shí)上,他在豪瑞內(nèi)部就以“廢棄物專家”而著稱。但垃圾再利用是一種全新的理念,而且它的出現(xiàn)可以說(shuō)是恰逢正確的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)。
至少?gòu)墓帕_馬時(shí)代以來(lái),歐洲人一直采用類似的做法重新利用建筑垃圾,將舊建筑的磚石重新用于建設(shè)新建筑。(筆者在比利時(shí)的家人曾經(jīng)擁有一處房產(chǎn),在其中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一處八世紀(jì)教堂的遺址,這座教堂的建設(shè)就使用了來(lái)自古代羅馬別墅的石頭。這座“回收再利用”的教堂矗立了近千年之久。)但到二十世紀(jì)末,歐洲和全世界的建筑規(guī)范均禁止重新使用或回收再利用拆除垃圾,包括美國(guó)在內(nèi)。美國(guó)是豪瑞最大的市場(chǎng),為其貢獻(xiàn)了超過(guò)100億美元年度營(yíng)收。這種謹(jǐn)慎有一個(gè)合理的理由:例如,事實(shí)證明,上世紀(jì)50年代至90年代使用的一些低質(zhì)量建材壽命只有30年,導(dǎo)致這類建材被禁止使用。但有一些研究人員直到最近依舊認(rèn)為,即使回收利用強(qiáng)度更大的混凝土所生產(chǎn)的材料,也達(dá)不到原始材料的強(qiáng)度,因此這是一種危險(xiǎn)的工具。
但當(dāng)沃根鮑爾著手解決這個(gè)問(wèn)題時(shí),人們對(duì)再生材料的心態(tài)開始發(fā)生變化,尤其是在內(nèi)陸國(guó)家瑞士。在多山的瑞士,其人口主要生活在夾在阿爾卑斯山和汝拉山脈之間的狹長(zhǎng)地帶,被稱為“中部地區(qū)”。瑞士的城市、湖泊、農(nóng)業(yè)、工業(yè)都集中在這片平原上;沒(méi)有人希望這片珍貴的土地淪為建筑垃圾場(chǎng)。因此,到2000年代,瑞士對(duì)建筑和拆除垃圾的回收再利用已經(jīng)相當(dāng)成熟,而且瑞士監(jiān)管部門也在積極推廣這種做法。
沃根鮑爾和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)有自己的理由去實(shí)現(xiàn)埃伯哈特的愿望。首先,再生水泥可能是一種新收入來(lái)源。畢竟,埃伯哈特為了處理建筑垃圾需要付費(fèi),因此它愿意向豪瑞付費(fèi)來(lái)完成這項(xiàng)任務(wù)。如果豪瑞能將建筑垃圾用于新產(chǎn)品,它就可以有兩次收入機(jī)會(huì):一次是在接收埃伯哈特的建筑垃圾時(shí),第二次則是在出售再生水泥產(chǎn)品的時(shí)候。
同樣重要的是,如何將再生水泥納入豪瑞未來(lái)的商業(yè)模式。如果沃根鮑爾的瑞士團(tuán)隊(duì)能夠解決建筑拆除垃圾回收再利用這個(gè)難題,公司在二氧化碳排放方面將從元兇變成英雄。
“建筑脫碳”與出售水泥
豪瑞高層也在發(fā)生變化。2017年,豪瑞任命瑞士化工公司西卡(Sika)的負(fù)責(zé)人簡(jiǎn)·杰尼施為新任CEO。作為一個(gè)局外人,杰尼施意識(shí)到,豪瑞需要做出改變,才能在21世紀(jì)保持競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。
1912年,豪瑞誕生于瑞士小鎮(zhèn)亨德爾伯格,豪瑞是海德爾伯格水泥公司(Holderberg Ciment)的縮寫。自成立以來(lái),該公司一直在通過(guò)并購(gòu)和擴(kuò)大產(chǎn)量不斷擴(kuò)張。水泥是一種商品,而豪瑞一直以來(lái)的經(jīng)營(yíng)理念是越大越好,而最大自然是最好的。但2015年豪瑞并購(gòu)長(zhǎng)期競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手、法國(guó)公司拉法基(Lafarge)之后,基本上已經(jīng)沒(méi)有重要的收購(gòu)目標(biāo)。同樣重要的是,政府和公共輿論對(duì)水泥行業(yè)每年的大量二氧化碳排放日益不滿。豪瑞要繼續(xù)維持主導(dǎo)地位,必須從各方面做出改變。
杰尼施對(duì)筆者表示:“在加入豪瑞時(shí),我發(fā)現(xiàn)這家全球最大的建材公司,有強(qiáng)大的、本地化的業(yè)務(wù),有2,300個(gè)生產(chǎn)基地,采取準(zhǔn)時(shí)供應(yīng)模式。”但他也意識(shí)到,讓豪瑞走到2017年的策略,不見(jiàn)得能讓它在2027年甚至更遠(yuǎn)的將來(lái)繼續(xù)繁榮發(fā)展。他說(shuō)道:“你必須思考未來(lái)市場(chǎng)的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)?!?/p>
他堅(jiān)信,隨著全世界人口的增長(zhǎng)和城市化的不斷發(fā)展,未來(lái)的發(fā)展趨勢(shì)依舊將包括增長(zhǎng)和新建筑。但發(fā)展的基礎(chǔ)將變得截然不同:它們應(yīng)該基于創(chuàng)新和可持續(xù)發(fā)展,而不是靠商品和數(shù)量。其他任何方式都無(wú)法獲得全社會(huì)認(rèn)可。
為了實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的使命,杰尼施招募了多位新人,包括法國(guó)工程師馬加利·安德森。她的職業(yè)生涯大部分時(shí)間都在石油行業(yè)負(fù)責(zé)安全事務(wù)。安德森加入豪瑞時(shí)擔(dān)任安全主管,但她很快擔(dān)任了一個(gè)更重要的崗位:豪瑞首位首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官。
新團(tuán)隊(duì)馬上開始執(zhí)行新策略,并促使公司在2020年9月做出了到2050年實(shí)現(xiàn)“凈零排放”的承諾。豪瑞將其在業(yè)內(nèi)的角色重新解釋為“建筑脫碳”,而不是銷售水泥。對(duì)于局外人來(lái)說(shuō),這種說(shuō)法可能有一種漂綠的感覺(jué),類似于一家煙草公司聲稱其希望人們停止吸煙。但新策略的每一部分背后都有一個(gè)客觀的商業(yè)邏輯。脫碳要么降低成本,要么創(chuàng)造額外收入。
筆者參觀了豪瑞位于瑞士??死嫷囊患夜S,看到了公司的多個(gè)脫碳機(jī)制正在運(yùn)行。豪瑞大幅減少了化石燃料消耗,通過(guò)使用廢棄燃料,即燃燒豪瑞收費(fèi)處理的材料,創(chuàng)造了額外的收入來(lái)源。爐窯的直播視頻顯示了被切碎的舊輪胎和生物質(zhì)材料,如何被投入爐中。這座工廠還重新設(shè)計(jì)了混凝土的成分:公司不再通過(guò)高二氧化碳強(qiáng)度的工藝粉碎石灰石制成“水泥熟料”,而是盡可能使用煅燒黏土和其他低排放材料。
在建筑項(xiàng)目中,豪瑞同樣致力于以更少的材料建設(shè)更優(yōu)質(zhì)的建筑。公司借鑒古羅馬時(shí)代的做法,嘗試?yán)弥亓蚪饘賷A具固定拱形結(jié)構(gòu),而不是使用砂漿。在地板施工中,豪瑞只會(huì)在混凝土有結(jié)構(gòu)效應(yīng)的時(shí)候使用混凝土,而且盡可能使用更輕、二氧化碳強(qiáng)度更低的產(chǎn)品組合。為了彌補(bǔ)水泥或混凝土銷量的損失,豪瑞將為其產(chǎn)品開發(fā)出新應(yīng)用。
最后,豪瑞將從更全面的角度看待其在建筑行業(yè)的角色。如果公司的混凝土墻和地板,變成可通過(guò)碳中和的方式供暖和制冷的建筑的組成部分會(huì)怎樣?如果公司的混凝土能夠適用于綠色城市建筑,而不是與這種理念相抵觸,結(jié)果會(huì)怎樣?
在法國(guó)里昂全球創(chuàng)新中心改造項(xiàng)目中,工程師團(tuán)隊(duì)提出了各種創(chuàng)新方案。去年夏末,筆者參觀了該項(xiàng)目,并在那里看到了這些工作在短短幾年內(nèi)帶來(lái)的成果:例如,屋頂使用的一種超輕隔熱層,觸感更像是巧克力慕斯,而不是混凝土,更適合炎熱的氣候?;蛘呋煊兄参锓N子的混凝土墻,隨著雨水不斷浸入,這些墻壁就會(huì)變成巴比倫式的空中花園。
許多創(chuàng)新依舊類似于車企的概念車:其目的是證明公司的想象力和設(shè)計(jì)實(shí)力,但目前尚未變成具有現(xiàn)實(shí)世界影響的產(chǎn)品。依舊有越來(lái)越多產(chǎn)品正在突破障礙,從理論應(yīng)用到實(shí)踐。維也納最近完工的一座學(xué)校就是很好的例子:豪瑞稱,這所學(xué)校在今年早些時(shí)候完工,全部使用了該公司最先進(jìn)的產(chǎn)品,能夠通過(guò)內(nèi)部地?zé)峁に嚌M足90%的能源需求。
而在法國(guó)和肯尼亞,豪瑞一直在試驗(yàn)3D打印住宅和橋梁,作為一種可持續(xù)解決方案。3D打印技術(shù)使承包商和建筑商可以只在必要時(shí)使用混凝土;豪瑞稱,這意味著3D打印建筑在強(qiáng)度不變的情況下,所使用的材料可減少50%。
疫情帶來(lái)的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)
2020年,新冠疫情幾乎使全球經(jīng)濟(jì)陷入停滯。一年的大部分時(shí)間里,豪瑞全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)團(tuán)隊(duì)的大多數(shù)人都被困在瑞士。
事實(shí)證明,對(duì)于克萊門斯·沃根鮑爾和他的本地團(tuán)隊(duì)而言,這是一次幸運(yùn)的機(jī)會(huì)。經(jīng)過(guò)多年來(lái)在產(chǎn)品研發(fā)方面的投資,并且在投入大量時(shí)間說(shuō)服監(jiān)管委員會(huì)之后,他們的Susteno水泥進(jìn)入瑞士市場(chǎng)已經(jīng)有兩年時(shí)間。這款水泥有20%來(lái)自再生拆除垃圾。疫情期間的封鎖,使沃根鮑爾有機(jī)會(huì)向無(wú)處可逃的觀眾展示他們的產(chǎn)品,這些觀眾就是全球總部的同事,他們本應(yīng)該到世界各地出差,去豪瑞的其他子公司參加會(huì)議。
Susteno大獲成功。沃根鮑爾說(shuō)道:“我感覺(jué)非常吃驚。但我很高興看到集團(tuán)[對(duì)我們的產(chǎn)品]的開放態(tài)度。它出現(xiàn)在正確的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)??芍^天時(shí)地利人和?!?
不久之后,杰尼施和他的高管團(tuán)隊(duì)開始加速執(zhí)行全球脫碳策略。2020年7月,豪瑞推出了一種混凝土Ecopact,可將其在最大市場(chǎng)美國(guó)的二氧化碳足跡降低至少30%。2021年和2022年,豪瑞先后推出了更多“生態(tài)”產(chǎn)品,包括綠色水泥Ecoplanet和直接受到Susteno回收再利用品牌啟發(fā)而開發(fā)的一系列再生產(chǎn)品Ecocycle。
這些年證明豪瑞的策略是正確的,而催化這一策略的瑞士創(chuàng)新是有效的。目前,Ecopact和Ecoplanet成為豪瑞的拳頭產(chǎn)品,每一款產(chǎn)品的全球銷售額都超過(guò)十億美元。 “生態(tài)”系列產(chǎn)品幫助豪瑞在2022年獲得創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的營(yíng)收和利潤(rùn),到2023年秋,豪瑞接近五分之一的全球銷售額來(lái)自生態(tài)品牌。在美國(guó),亞馬遜(Amazon)成為Ecopact的大客戶,其位于弗吉尼亞州北部的新數(shù)據(jù)倉(cāng)庫(kù)就使用了這種混凝土,這進(jìn)一步提高了該品牌在豪瑞最大市場(chǎng)的可信度。 兩家公司表示,該項(xiàng)目使用的混凝土拌合料將混凝土的二氧化碳足跡降低了39%。
豪瑞還證明,它有能力在實(shí)現(xiàn)收入增長(zhǎng)的同時(shí),減少溫室氣體排放。據(jù)豪瑞計(jì)算,自上世紀(jì)90年代以來(lái),生產(chǎn)每噸水泥的二氧化碳排放量減少了29%。公司還實(shí)現(xiàn)了產(chǎn)品組合的多元化。自2020年以來(lái),公司每美元凈銷售額的二氧化碳排放量減少了43%,這要?dú)w功于價(jià)格上漲、其水泥和混凝土的二氧化碳強(qiáng)度持續(xù)下降以及其他二氧化碳強(qiáng)度更低的建筑產(chǎn)品銷售增長(zhǎng)。豪瑞的總體氣候目標(biāo)是到2050年實(shí)現(xiàn)碳中和,現(xiàn)在這個(gè)目標(biāo)有所謂的“科學(xué)碳目標(biāo)”作為依據(jù)。實(shí)際上,這意味著如果每一家公司都像豪瑞一樣,從現(xiàn)在到2050年,全球溫升幅度將被限制到1.5攝氏度,而不是繼續(xù)目前超過(guò)2.5攝氏度的溫升路徑。
法律訴訟和監(jiān)管障礙
豪瑞最近的轉(zhuǎn)型是一次引人注目的逆轉(zhuǎn)故事。幾年前,這家公司還被氣候活動(dòng)家們視為罪魁禍?zhǔn)?,現(xiàn)在它在竭盡全力證明它是綠色轉(zhuǎn)型的盟友。但要保持在可持續(xù)發(fā)展方面的優(yōu)勢(shì),豪瑞將必須擺脫它更遙遠(yuǎn)的過(guò)去。
在瑞士,豪瑞陷入了一起來(lái)自太平洋海島居民群體的訴訟,可能開創(chuàng)先例。原告來(lái)自印度尼西亞巴厘島。太平洋有許多海島因?yàn)槿蜃兣瘜?dǎo)致的海平面上升受到嚴(yán)重影響,巴厘島就是其中之一。原告向楚格法院主張,因?yàn)楹廊鹨獙?duì)溫室氣體排放負(fù)責(zé),要求豪瑞支付損害賠償。他們認(rèn)為,溫室氣體排放是他們生活環(huán)境惡化的罪魁禍?zhǔn)住8鶕?jù)氣候責(zé)任研究所(Climate Accountability Institute)受一家支持原告的非政府組織委托發(fā)布的報(bào)告顯示,豪瑞及其前身要為全球戰(zhàn)后0.4%的二氧化碳排放負(fù)責(zé),相當(dāng)于超過(guò)70億噸溫室氣體。如果法官裁定豪瑞負(fù)責(zé),可能讓其他地區(qū)受影響的群體提起更多類似訴訟,這會(huì)危及公司的未來(lái)。
監(jiān)管也是公司持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)路上的阻礙。例如,雖然豪瑞在瑞士被允許回收再利用建筑垃圾,美國(guó)的建筑規(guī)范卻禁止這種做法。豪瑞對(duì)筆者表示,如果任何美國(guó)客戶想在混凝土建筑中使用再生水泥,只能采用變通的方法。例如,為了遵守本地規(guī)定,亞馬遜倉(cāng)庫(kù)必須使用從西班牙運(yùn)來(lái)的低碳水泥,然后在美國(guó)生產(chǎn)混凝土。豪瑞需要讓更多監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)相信,再生水泥是可行的,否則公司的可持續(xù)轉(zhuǎn)型會(huì)面臨巨大阻礙。
杰尼施關(guān)注的重點(diǎn)顯然是與監(jiān)管部門的談判,而不是豪瑞面臨的官司。關(guān)于與島民的訴訟,他表示:“我并不認(rèn)為任何人能夠接受歷史責(zé)任。更重要的是我們現(xiàn)在采取哪些行動(dòng)。我希望能加入其中。”
但杰尼施需要全力以赴應(yīng)對(duì)監(jiān)管挑戰(zhàn)。今年夏天,馬加利·安德森宣布卸任豪瑞首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官。新任首席可持續(xù)發(fā)展官諾萊戈·弗雷斯特與前任一樣,也沒(méi)有接受過(guò)工程或安全訓(xùn)練。但她擅長(zhǎng)政府事務(wù)和傳播,并在陶氏(Dow)、杜邦(DuPont)和美國(guó)香精生產(chǎn)商芬美意(Firmenich)等公司不斷提升自己的技能。弗雷斯特對(duì)筆者表示,她目前的主要工作任務(wù)是讓監(jiān)管部門接受豪瑞在建筑行業(yè)的可持續(xù)性遠(yuǎn)景,尤其是為豪瑞貢獻(xiàn)了大部分銷售額的美國(guó)和歐盟。她表示,豪瑞正在考慮的一種策略是說(shuō)服有影響力的大州的監(jiān)管部門,例如加州,讓他們相信豪瑞的做法是有效的,目的是在全國(guó)形成雪球效應(yīng)。在其他綠色技術(shù)監(jiān)管方面,包括電動(dòng)汽車領(lǐng)域,這是一種經(jīng)過(guò)反復(fù)驗(yàn)證的方法。
弗雷斯特和她的同事需要爭(zhēng)取的一個(gè)利益相關(guān)者是“翻新瑞士”項(xiàng)目。這并不是說(shuō)該組織不欣賞豪瑞迄今為止所做的工作。該組織的發(fā)言人瑪麗·塞德爾通過(guò)電話對(duì)筆者表示:“據(jù)我們所知,許多工作非常出色,但也有一些是虛假承諾?!笨傊摻M織依舊不相信,一家商業(yè)模式依賴水泥和混凝土的公司,會(huì)成為碳中和世界的支持者。塞德爾表示:“我們的社會(huì)目前需要的是,徹底改變我們看待氣候危機(jī)的態(tài)度。如果豪瑞認(rèn)真對(duì)待這個(gè)問(wèn)題,他們應(yīng)該徹底停止建設(shè)排放二氧化碳的建筑,而不只是減少30%?!睋Q言之,“翻新瑞士”認(rèn)為,2050年應(yīng)該從明天開始。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
In its peacefulness and civility, it may have been the most Swiss protest ever. At a classical music concert in the picturesque city of Lucerne in September, two climate activists glued themselves to the stage. The orchestra’s performance wheezed to a halt, much to the audience’s chagrin.
After a brief negotiation, conductor Vladimir Jurowski announced a truce: The young protestors would be allowed to make their case, everyone in the audience would listen, and the concert would continue. What the protesters demanded wasn’t an end to oil exploration, or that everyone stop flying or driving, or that the old guard step down for having let the planet burn. Instead, they called for something else entirely: that all Swiss homes be renovated by 2030 so they could stay cool in summer, and warm in winter—but while using much less energy.
The Lucerne saga was over after four minutes. But the Renovate Switzerland movement has engineered dozens of similar protests in the country since 2022, some of them much more disruptive—including a blocking of the main Geneva lake bridge by protestors similarly glued to the surface, and protestors “slow-walking” traffic by marching down the middle of busy city streets. What the actions have in common is an urgent plea for a less carbon-dioxide-heavy “built environment.”
It’s a demand that makes sense. For all the attention given to cars, trucks, and airplanes, it turns out that houses and buildings actually make up the world’s single largest source of CO2 emissions, at a staggering 39%. The production of cement alone—omnipresent in our buildings, bridges, and sidewalks—is responsible for almost a quarter of those emissions. That’s due to the chemical processes and intense heat required to manufacture it, most of which typically involve fossil fuels.
Ultimately, any call for a greener built environment is a call for greener cement and concrete, produced less resource-intensively and designed to fit in energy-efficient buildings. A serious effort to use more eco-friendly cement would create construction jobs, slash residents’ energy bills, and get just about every country and institution much closer to its zero-emissions goals.
It sounds like a win-win, really. So why isn’t green cement the global norm in construction?
A few miles northeast of Lucerne, one Fortune 500 Europe company is trying to make it so. Holcim, based in Zug, is the world’s largest cement company outside of China, with a production capacity of 260 million metric tons per year. It has been a global giant for decades—it brought in more than $30 billion in revenue in its last fiscal year—and that means that it has been responsible for a large share of its industry’s historical carbon footprint. But Holcim is now trying to be part of the solution, developing low-emissions cement and concrete while creating materials for energy-neutral buildings.
If Holcim’s eco strategy succeeds, it could secure the company’s continued dominance in its industry and make it a lighthouse for other European and global companies to follow. Over the last decade, it has shown remarkable progress. The question is whether it can keep progressing quickly enough to meaningfully protect the planet—and to exorcise the demons of its own past.
A new challenge for ‘the waste guy’
Clemens Woegerbauer, a director of Holcim’s Swiss subsidiary, first started thinking about low-carbon cement some 10 years ago, when a request from Zurich-based construction company Eberhardt landed on his desk. The question was as simple as it was intractable: Could Holcim help Eberhardt get rid of its construction demolition waste, and perhaps recycle it into new cement and concrete?
Getting rid of construction and demolition debris was familiar work for Woegerbauer; in fact, he was known internally at Holcim as “the waste guy.” But the idea of reusing the waste was a new one—and it arrived, in a sense, at just the right time and just the right place.
A similar approach had been used by Europeans since at least Roman times, with bricks and stones from older buildings reused to construct new ones. (My own family in Belgium used to own property on which the remains of an eighth-century church were found, built with recycled stones from an ancient Roman villa. The “recycled” church stood for almost a thousand years.) But by the end of the 20th century, building codes all but prohibited the reuse or recycling of demolition waste all over Europe and the world—including in the United States, Holcim’s largest market and the source of over $10 billion of its yearly revenues. There was good reason to be cautious: Some low-quality construction materials used between the 1950s and 1990s, for example, turned out to have a life span of just 30 years, leading to a ban on their use. But even the recycling of stronger concrete, several researchers believed until recently, yielded material that lacked the strength of its “virgin” equivalent, making it a hazardous tool.
By the time Woegerbauer started grappling with the issue, however, the mindset around recycled materials was starting to change—in landlocked Switzerland in particular. The Alpine country’s population largely lives on a sliver of land dubbed the “middle country,” sandwiched between the Alps and the Jura mountains. Switzerland’s cities, lakes, agriculture, and industry all have to share this plateau; the last thing anyone needed was for this precious land to be used for construction waste sites. As a result, by the 2000s, the practice of recycling of construction and demolition debris was well established in Switzerland, and Swiss regulators were amenable to expanding that practice.
Woegerbauer and his team had their own reasons to fulfill Eberhardt’s wishes. First, recycled cement could be a new source of income. Eberhardt had to pay to get rid of its waste anyway, so it would gladly pay Holcim to do the same. If Holcim could incorporate the waste into new products, it would win twice: once when it received Eberhardt’s waste, and again when it sold its recycled cement products.
Just as important was how recycled cement would fit into Holcim’s future business model. If Woegerbauer’s Swiss team could square the circle of construction demolition material recycling, the company might go from villain to hero on CO2 emissions.
‘Decarbonizing building’ vs. selling cement
Holcim was undergoing changes at the top too. In 2017, the company appointed Jan Jenisch, the head of Swiss chemical company Sika, as its new CEO. As an outsider, Jenisch realized that Holcim needed to adapt to remain relevant in the 21st century.
Ever since its founding in the petite Swiss town of Holderberg in 1912—Holcim is short for Holderberg Ciment—the company had been expanding through mergers and volume plays. Cement is a commodity, and for a long time the company’s philosophy was that bigger was better and biggest was best. But after Holcim merged with its longtime rival, France’s Lafarge, in 2015, there were essentially no meaningful acquisition targets left. Just as important, governments and public opinion were growing increasingly vocal in their dissatisfaction with the huge amounts of CO2 the cement industry emitted each year. For Holcim’s dominance to remain the same, everything had to change.
“When I joined, I found strong, locally embedded businesses, 2,300 production sites, right-in-time supply, the largest building-material company in the world,” Jenisch told me. But what got Holcim to 2017 wouldn’t get it to 2027 or beyond, he also realized. “You have to think about how markets will develop in the future,” he said.
Those developments still included growth and new construction, he firmly believed, given the world’s growing population and urbanization. But it would have to be built on different foundations than before: those of innovation and sustainability, rather than commodities and volume. Any other approach would not have societal buy-in.
Jenisch brought on board a few newcomers to realize his mission, including Magali Anderson, a French engineer who had spent most of her career working on safety in the oil industry. Anderson joined as head of safety, but soon took on a more significant role: that of Holcim’s first-ever chief sustainability officer.
The new team soon embarked on a new strategy, culminating in the company’s signing of a “net zero” pledge in September 2020, aiming for the horizon of 2050. Instead of selling cement, Holcim reinterpreted its role in the industry as “decarbonizing building.” To an outsider, such a statement may have reeked of greenwashing—akin to a cigarette company stating it wants people to stop smoking. But each component of the new strategy came with a cold business rationale. Decarbonizing was going to either reduce costs or create extra revenues.
On a visit to one of Holcim’s cement plants, in the Swiss town of Eclépens, I saw several of the company’s decarbonizing mechanisms at work. Holcim had reduced much of its fossil fuel use there, and had created an additional revenue stream by using waste fuel instead—burning material that Holcim had been paid to dispose of. A live video feed of the kiln showed how shredded old tires and biomass were fed into the fire. The plant also rethought the composition of its concrete: Instead of using “clinker,” which is made by breaking down limestone in a highly CO2-intensive process, the company is using calcine clay and other, lower-emissions materials wherever possible.
In its construction projects, too, Holcim aimed to build better with less. Adopting practices from Roman times, it experimented with using gravitational forces or metal clamps, rather than mortar, to hold archlike structures together. In its floorings, it would use concrete only where it had structural effects, replacing it with lighter, less CO2-heavy product mixes where possible. To make up for the loss in volume of cement or concrete sold, it would come up with new applications for its products.
Finally, Holcim would take a more holistic approach to its role in the building sector. What if its concrete wall and floors could be components of buildings that could be heated and cooled in a carbon-neutral fashion? What if its concrete could fit into green urban architecture, rather than be a nemesis of it?
In its revamped global innovation hub in Lyon, France, a team of engineers came up with all kinds of innovations. On a visit late this summer, I saw what those efforts had led to, over a few short years: a superlight isolation layer for roofs, for example, that felt to the touch more like chocolate mousse than concrete and is better suited for hot climates. Or concrete walls with plant seeds mixed in, which could then turn the walls into Babylon-esque hanging gardens over time as rain poured through them.
Many of those innovations are still analogous to what concept cars are for car manufacturers: a proof of the company’s imagination and engineering prowess, but not products that have real-world impact today. Still, more of the products are crossing the barrier between theory and practice. A recently finished school in Vienna is a fitting exhibit: Finished earlier this year, the school, entirely built with state-of-the-art Holcim products, is capable of covering 90% of its energy needs through internal geothermal processes, the company claims.
In France and Kenya, meanwhile, Holcim has been experimenting with 3D printing of homes and bridges as a sustainable solution. 3D printing lets contractors and architects use concrete only where it is strictly needed; that means the structures built with it retain the same strength while using up to 50% less material, Holcim says.
A pandemic turning point
In 2020, the COVID pandemic stopped economic life throughout much of the global economy. Much of Holcim’s global leadership team wound up being stuck in Switzerland for the better part of a year.
For Clemens Woegerbauer and his local team, that proved to be a lucky break. After years of investments in product R&D, and as much time spent wooing regulatory commissions, their Susteno cement—of which 20% came from recycled demolition waste—had been making inroads on the Swiss market for two years. The lockdown gave Woegerbauer a chance to show off the product to a captive audience: his global HQ colleagues, who would otherwise have been traveling all over the world taking meetings at other Holcim subsidiaries.
Susteno was a runaway success. “I was very surprised, but it was good to see how open the group was [to our product],” Woegerbauer said. “It was the right place and the right time. Everything converged.”
Soon after, Jenisch and his executive team floored the accelerator on their global decarbonization strategy. In July 2020, Holcim launched Ecopact, a type of concrete with a reduced CO2 footprint of at least 30%, in the U.S., its largest market. In 2021 and 2022, further additions to the “eco” range of products followed, including Ecoplanet, Holcim’s green cement, and Ecocycle, a range of recycled products directly inspired by the Susteno recycling brand.
The years since have vindicated Holcim’s strategy—and the Swiss innovations that catalyzed it. Today, Ecopact and Ecoplanet are blockbusters, with each posting more than a billion dollars in global sales. The “eco” range of products helped Holcim to record revenues and profits in 2022, and by the fall of 2023, almost a fifth of Holcim’s global sales came from the eco brands. In the U.S., Amazon became a marquee Ecopact client, using the concrete for its new data warehouses in northern Virginia and giving the brand additional credibility in Holcim’s biggest market. The concrete mix used in the project there, the companies said, would reduce the CO2 footprint of the concrete by 39%.
Holcim also proved it could decouple revenue growth from greenhouse gas emissions. Its CO2 emissions per ton of cement produced dropped by 29% since the 1990s, the company calculated. The company has also diversified its product mix. Since 2020, CO2 emissions per dollar of net sales at the company have dropped by 43%—the result of a combination of higher prices, a further lowering of the CO2 intensity of its cement and concrete, and greater sales of other, less CO2-heavy building products. Holcim’s overall climate goal to be carbon-neutral by 2050 is now backed by what wonks call “science-based targets.” Practically, it means that if every company acted like Holcim, global warming would be limited to 1.5 degree Celsius between now and 2050, rather than the more than 2.5-degree pathway it is on now.
Legal and regulatory battles loom
Holcim’s recent transformation is a remarkable turnaround story. A company that just a few years ago was seen as a major villain by climate activists is now hell-bent on proving it can be a green ally. But to continue its sustainability winning streak, Holcim will have to outrun its more distant past.
In Switzerland, Holcim faces a potentially precedent-setting lawsuit from a group of Pacific Islanders. The plaintiffs hail from the Indonesian island of Pari, one of many Pacific islands drastically affected by global-warming-induced sea level rise. In a court in Zug, they are seeking damages from Holcim for the company’s role in emitting the greenhouse gas emissions they believe are responsible for their deteriorated living conditions. According to a report by the Climate Accountability Institute, commissioned by an NGO that supports the plaintiffs, Holcim and its predecessors are responsible for 0.4% of all global postwar CO2 emissions—more than 7 billion tons of the greenhouse gas. If the judge finds Holcim liable, it could open the floodgates to similar cases from affected populations elsewhere, imperiling the company’s future.
Regulation also stands in its way of further growth. In the U.S., for example, building codes don’t allow for the kind of recycling that Holcim is allowed to do in Switzerland. Any U.S. client that wants to use recycled cement in its concrete construction can do so only with a workaround, the company told me. In the case of the Amazon warehouses, for example, the low-carbon cement had to be transported from Spain and then used to make concrete in the U.S. in order to comply with local rules. Holcim will need to convince more regulators that recycled cement is viable, or the company will face a big roadblock in its sustainability journey.
Jenisch’s focus is clearly talks with regulators rather than Holcim’s dealings in court. “I don’t think anyone can accept historical responsibility,” he said of the lawsuit by the islanders. “It’s more important what action we take now. This is what I want to be part of.”
But it’s all hands on the regulatory deck for Jenisch. This summer, Magali Anderson announced her departure as Holcim’s chief sustainability officer. Like her predecessor, Nollaig Forrest, the new CSO, has no training in engineering or safety. But she’s steeped in government affairs and communications, skills she honed at other industrial groups such as Dow, DuPont, and American fragrance maker Firmenich. Forrest’s main job now, she told me, is to get regulators to embrace Holcim’s vision of sustainability in construction, especially in the U.S. and the European Union, where Holcim gets the lion’s share of its sales. One tactic Holcim is considering, she said, is to convince regulators in a large, influential state such as California of the effectiveness of Holcim’s approach, with the aim of creating a snowball effect across the country. It has been a tried and tested method in regulation of other green technologies, including electric vehicles.
One stakeholder Forrest and her colleagues will still have to win over is Renovate Switzerland. It’s not that the organization doesn’t appreciate the efforts Holcim has undertaken so far. “From what we know, there is a lot of nice work, but [some of it] may be a false promise too,” Marie Seidel, a spokesperson for the organization, told me over the phone. Overall, the organization remains unconvinced that a company whose business model depends on cement and concrete can ever be a champion of a carbon-neutral world. “What our society needs right now is a complete U-turn in the way we consider the climate crisis,” Seidel said. “If Holcim would take this issue seriously, they would stop building buildings that emit CO2 at all, not 30% less.” For Renovate Switzerland, in other words, 2050 should start tomorrow.