MANILA Philippines—True to its commitment to sustainable development, Holcim Philippines Inc.’s cement plants continue to initiate various community activities to protect and enhance the environment.

Partnering with the local government of the village of Ilang in Davao City, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region XI, Holcim-Davao plant launched its Adopt Ilang River Project last September 15.

Led by chief operating officer Ian Thackwray, Holcim Philippines senior management and Davao plant employees joined students and local government officials in the tree planting activity to protect the two kilometer stretch of Ilang River from soil erosion.

“Global warming affects all of us, and planting a few trees is a simple but effective response,” Thackwray told those who had come to help plant trees.

“If each of us plants even a single tree, it would make an overwhelming difference. I hope the trees we plant today grow big and strong, so they can do the work of preventing riverbank erosion and mitigating global warming.”

“We owe the continuous success of Holcim-Davao to the support of our host communities, among them the village of Ilang,” said Kevin Hughes, vice president-plant manager of Holcim-Davao.

“Our goal is to work with the residents and officials in addressing problems. It is especially important to get the children involved, as everything we are doing is really for their future,” he added.

In another activity of the Holcim-Lugait plant, employees and their families joined in the clean-up of the coast of Iligan Bay last September 5, in line with the celebration of the International Coastal Clean-up Month.

Volunteers spent most of the morning, cleaning up the one kilometer stretch of the coastal area. “It is not just a way of nurturing the environment but also an opportunity for our employees and their families to mingle with each other in a light and festive atmosphere,” remarked Julius Baliog, Holcim-Lugait Mining, environment, corporate responsibility, and administration services manager.

Holcim’s plants are supporting more community projects in the coming months, including medical missions, and the turnover of homes for the underprivileged.

According to the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) results, Holcim remains one of the leading global companies in sustainable development. It has been confirmed as a member of the DJSI World Index in 2009/2010 in the building materials industry.

For seven years, Holcim has been included in both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Index.

Holcim’s recycling strategy, its human capital development, its corporate citizenship approach, and its engagement with stakeholders received top scores.

The DJSI is the first global index to track and assess the financial performance of leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. Analysis is based on an annual assessment of general and industry specific sustainability criteria undertaken by the Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) Group.