ENVIRONMENT

HERACLES Group treats water as a critical natural resource and a key factor of resilience for both its operations and local communities. The initiative combines complementary solutions tailored to the specific conditions of each location: industrial symbiosis, reuse of treated water, seawater desalination and closed-loop recycling systems.

At the Volos plant, a distinctive industrial symbiosis initiative has been in place for more than a decade, reusing treated water from the neighboring EPSA industry. At the Milaki plant and the quarry on Gyali Islet, autonomous seawater desalination units operate to drastically reduce the need for freshwater withdrawal for production activities. In parallel, 34 Group units have water-recycling systems, increasing water reuse and resource efficiency.

In 2025, this approach gained an even stronger scientific foundation. Holcim set a new target for nature, developed using the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) methodology and validated through the Accountability Accelerator: a 23% reduction in freshwater withdrawal from its direct operations in the Cyclades Basin by 2030, compared with the 2020-2024 average, with the objective of limiting freshwater withdrawals to 53,082 m³.

Greece is therefore at the heart of Holcim's internationally pioneering, science-based approach to nature. Holcim is among the first three companies globally to adopt science-based targets for nature and was the only company in its sector in the original SBTN pilot program. HERACLES Group translates this ambition into concrete actions on the ground, connecting responsible water stewardship with ecosystem protection and the long-term resilience of local communities.