4.02€7 April 2025
17h35

Committed model

CSR as the backbone of development

Since its creation in 2016, Hoffmann Green has been focusing its efforts on developing new 0% clinker decarbonated cements, thereby contributing to decarbonation. The company, by the very nature of its business, addresses issues linked to CO₂ emissions. Thus, the more Hoffmann Green produces, the more CO₂ emissions will be avoided, and the more resources will be preserved.

Still a young company, Hoffmann Green has been committed, since its creation, to a progressive approach to building a global CSR strategy. In 2020, external assessments provided an overview of the issues facing Hoffmann Green.

  • 8,486 tonnes
    8,486 tonnes of CO₂ avoided in 2023. Tons of CO2 avoided are calculated by the CO₂ gain achieved by replacing traditional cement, according to the current cement consumption mix, with Hoffmann Green Cement clinker-free decarbonated cement.
  • 17,289 tonnes
    17,289 tonnes of extracted limestone avoided in 2023. In 2023, the use of clinker-free Hoffmann Green cement avoided the extraction of 17,289 tonnes of limestone that would have been required for equivalent production with traditional cement.

Hoffmann Green’s CSR policy

Hoffmann Green’s new clinker-free, low-carbon cements aim to reduce the construction sector’s carbon footprint.

But the company’s business also involves other aspects. Since its creation, Hoffmann Green has been committed to developing a global and progressive CSR approach to support the company’s development. Today, this policy is organized around three axes:

  • Responsible producer /
    It means minimizing the environmental footprint and preserving resources.
  • Responsible employer /
    It 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 /
    It means putting quality at the heart of our approach. It also means thinking about modes of governance to meet the expectations of all stakeholders.
COMMITMENTSHoffmann Green puts responsibility at the heart of its business model, striving to create a positive impact on the environment and society at every stage of its activities, while innovating for a sustainable future in the construction sector.

Reducing carbon footprint

  1. 01
    Reducing cement’s carbon footprint

    Cement production alone accounts for 7% of CO₂ emissions worldwide. The new 0% clinker and low-energy cements developed by Hoffmann Green cut CO₂ emissions by almost 5 compared with traditional Portland cement (CEM I), thanks to a new industrial process of cold activation, without a kiln.

    Source

  2. 02
    Start-up of “H2”, the world’s first vertical cement plant

    This new plant, with a production capacity of 250,000 tonnes, compared with 50,000 tonnes for the industrial pilot plant, has been operational since summer 2023. Its vertical design reduces the land footprint and associated soil sealing, and preserves natural spaces. This vertical plant is designed for a gravity-fed production mode, using the materials’ own weight in the industrial process, enabling significant energy optimization.

  3. 03
    Ongoing, voluntary approval process for Hoffmann Green’s innovative cements

    Approval involves the certification of solutions that have already been standardized: H-IONA and slag ground at the Hoffmann Microtech plant. Certification involves continuous monitoring of performance consistency.

    The second pillar of certification involves the evaluation of breakthrough solutions.


    Bringing new cements to market involves a long and costly standardization process. Hoffmann Green is CSTB’s second largest customer after the French government. This close partnership now enables us to market low-carbon breakthrough innovations that offer the same guarantees and, at the very least, the same performance as traditional cements. This voluntary approach is carried out in full transparency to support the market in deploying these solutions.

  4. 04
    A commitment to reforestation to store carbon

    For its contribution to carbon sinks, Hoffmann Green signed a partnership with Reforest’Action in 2018. Within this framework, Hoffmann Green supported the planting of 10,000 trees during the 2019-2020 season in Occitanie. Certified B Corp, Reforest’Action is a company with a social vocation created in 2010 by Stéphane Hallaire, whose first mission is to make as many people as possible aware of the power of forests and the need to protect them, and the second to take action by preserving and restoring forests in France and around the world.

Preserving natural resources

  1. 01
    Favoring green electricity

    Hoffmann Green uses solar trackers to generate and consume almost a quarter of its energy needs directly on its production site. By the end of 2022, the number of solar trackers had risen from 3 to 12.

    To complement this self-consumption, in 2020 Hoffmann Green signed a green electricity purchase contract with Engie to cover 100% of its consumption.

  2. 02
    Reduce the use of natural resources

    In 50 years, resource extraction has more than tripled worldwide. In 2017, the world extracted nearly 44 billion tonnes of non-metallic minerals (sand, gravel, clay).
    Quarried limestone is the raw material for traditional cements. A source of nuisance for the environment and local residents, quarries are also a threat to biodiversity. There are 3,600 active quarries 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’s action. All solutions developed by Hoffmann Green use co-products (blast furnace slag, clay sludge, gypsum and desulfogypsum) as raw materials. In use, Hoffmann Green cements require no more sand and water than traditional cements.

  3. 03
    Reduce the amount of industrial waste

    Based entirely on the principles of the circular economy, Hoffmann cements’ production process valorizes industrial by-products, which become the main raw material for decarbonated cements. This virtuous approach is applied at every stage of the production process, which itself generates no waste. Incoming products are delivered by lorry, stored in tankers and transferred to the production line by automated conveyors. No packaging is used.

Developing new, high-quality industrial jobs

  1. 01
    Systematic annual performance reviews with each employee

    Individual interviews enable us to take stock of each employee’s position, potential career development and training needs. Given the company’s young age and size (52 employees in 2023), each position is new and unique. As a result, each employee has a defined area of competence and responsibility.

  2. 02
    Distribution of free shares to all employees

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

  3. 03
    Focus on long-term employment

    Hoffmann Green favors long-term employment, with a predominance of open-ended contracts (98.8% in 2023), enabling long-term relationships to be built between the company and its employees. All employees are on long-term contracts, with the remainder on apprenticeship contracts that enable the gradual integration and training of young professionals.

Acting for health and safety in the workplace

  1. 01
    Setting up an occupational health and safety management system

    The start-up of the first pilot plant was accompanied by the introduction of a safety policy under the responsibility of the operations manager. Production teams were asked to draw on their experience to establish safety criteria adapted to the production process.

  2. 02
    Dust management at the plant

    Dust limitation has been the subject of specific treatment to guarantee air quality for operators in the plant. All production takes place in a closed process to limit air contact with the products. In December 2019, Carsat carried out an assessment of dust exposure. This provided an overview of the situation and the actions to be taken in this area in the first pilot plant. This initial feedback has been incorporated into the design of the H2 plant.

  3. 03
    Setting up Quality of Working Life (QWL) interviews

    With the gradual increase in the number of employees, Hoffmann Green pays particular attention to collective dynamics and the well-being of each individual. Three group seminars are organized each year to share strategy and individual roles. At the same time, an annual interview on quality of life at work is organized, in addition to the individual interview. The aim is to discuss issues such as workload, work-life balance and job satisfaction.

Guaranteeing quality

  1. 01
    World’s first clinker-free cement validated under ATEx case A by CSTB

    After four years of physical, chemical and mechanical testing, H-UKR cement has been awarded a technical assessment (ATEx case A), issued by CSTB, the public body that guarantees the quality and safety of buildings. This assessment covers a very wide range of structures, from single-family homes to high-rise buildings for structural applications (floors, walls, beams, columns, etc.). H-UKR cement-based concrete structures are designed in accordance with Eurocode 2 and Eurocode 8, calculation standards recognized in France and Europe. The Technical Evaluation of Products and Materials (TPM) for H-UKR technology has just been enhanced. It further objectivizes the durability and quality of H-UKR cement by validating its expected service life of 100 years, paving the way for the use of H-UKR cement-based concrete in engineering structures (bridges, tunnels, etc.).

  2. 02
    Two new CSTB assessments for H-UKR

    Since 2022, Hoffmann Green has been pursuing the evaluation plan for its H-UKR cement, obtaining two new assessments issued by the public authority that sets the benchmark for quality, durability and safety in buildings.

    These ATEx validate the use of H-UKR cement-based concrete for superstructure and foundation applications in all types of buildings: residential, public buildings (ERP), tertiary buildings, high-rise buildings, and so on.

    These include footings, stringers, inverts, floors, columns, beams, walls and slabs.

    Since 2025, H-UKR cement’s infrastructure applications have been validated by an Avis Technique (ATec).

  3. 03
    Continuous customer-oriented quality control

    To guarantee the quality of these new cements, Hoffmann Green has set up a quality control system at every stage of production. To coordinate this monitoring and guarantee the same level of standards, a number of people have been specifically recruited.

  4. 04
    Quality laboratory development

    Hoffmann Green has developed a Quality Laboratory with a dedicated team working directly with the production teams. A laboratory has been set up on the production site to optimize quality monitoring. The new equipment deployed and the quality monitoring methodology have enabled H-IONA cements to obtain AFNOR certification.

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

  5. 05
    Validation of technical evaluations of products and materials (ETPM)

    Carried out by the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), technical assessments of products and materials (ETPM) guarantee the durability and mechanical performance of our cements. These ETPMs enable Hoffmann Green to obtain ATEx (Appraisations Techniques d’Expérimentation) certification. Created on the initiative of the CSTB and the construction industry, the ATEx is a rapid technical evaluation procedure formulated by a group of experts for any innovative product, process or equipment.