Lafarge Canada announced Feb. 15 the completion of an important milestone in the company’s commitment to drive both sustainable and innovative products – the transition of production from traditional general-use cement to OneCem, a greener product that results in significantly lower carbon emissions, at its St-Constant cement plant in Quebec, Canada.

“We are excited to take another crucial step in our sustainability journey,” said David Redfern, president and CEO of Lafarge Canada (East). “The transition to OneCem production at our St-Constant plant indicates Lafarge Canada’s nonstop commitment to driving positive change within our construction industry.

“Our teams have been engaged in reducing our products’ environmental impact by embracing greener practices and materials,” Redfern added.

OneCem is a limestone-blended cement manufactured using less clinker than traditional Portland cement. Clinker is a key part of cement production; ordinary Portland cement can contain up to 95 percent clinker, with the remaining 5 percent being gypsum.

By converting the St-Constant plant’s production to OneCem, Lafarge Canada said it projects a reduction of about 60,000 tons of CO² emissions in 2024. This equates to CO² emissions from 16,267 passenger vehicles or 877,972 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

Lafarge said its St-Constant plant has been at the forefront of driving sustainability and innovation in cement production in Quebec for many years. Building upon its achievements in carbon reduction, the plant has implemented initiatives such as circularity through ECOcycle as well as collaborating with organizations like CarbiCrete and Patio Drummond to facilitate the production of zero-carbon concrete. The transition to OneCem production at the plant reinforces the company’s decarbonization strategy, widening customers’ availability of environmentally improved options.

“Our team at St-Constant is proud to be taking actions towards sustainability,” added Andrew Stewart, vice president of cement at Lafarge Canada (East). “With this transition, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint, but also aligning with our organization’s drive to be a leader for sustainable construction throughout Eastern Canada. This is a significant development, and we are eager to contribute to [realizing] a net-zero future.”

By exclusively offering OneCem for general use from its St-Constant cement plant, Lafarge said it contributes to environmental sustainability and empowers customers to diminish their own carbon footprint in the built environment.

For more information, visit lafarge.ca.