Holcim and CON-A contributed to the construction of the new factory of the ifm Sibiu group, the first DGNB-certified sustainable production unit in Romania

Holcim and CON-A contributed to the construction of the new production unit of the ifm group in Sibiu, the first sustainable production unit certified by the German Council for Sustainable Buildings (DGNB) in Romania and the first industrial construction in Sibiu which complies with green building standards. Within the project, Holcim supplied ECOPact green concrete, reducing by 35% the incorporated carbon related to the concrete used, compared to conventional concrete, and CON-A coordinated the execution of the work through engineering solutions that would contribute to the realization of a durable and sustainable construction.

With an investment of 43 million euros, more than 500 new jobs will be created at the new ifm factory in Sibiu in the first phase, and 3 more production modules will be developed over the next few years.

“Ever since 1990, ifm has expressed itself on the topic of the environment in the company’s philosophy, written at the time: <<ifm demands and promotes decisions and behaviors that respect the environment>>. Thus, over the years, the environmental impact per product sold has been constantly reduced. In the context of accelerating climate change, we have set ourselves the goal of becoming CO2 neutral by 2030. That is why we have not only decided to equip all our new production buildings worldwide with photovoltaic panels, but also to align the entire energy concept with the CO2 impact already during the construction phase to this goal. The DGNB standard gives us a very good basic framework to guide us. I am proud to have inaugurated the first factory in Europe to obtain the Gold category according to the DGNB international standard,” said Martin Buck, chairman of the ifm board of directors.

The DGNB certification of the building imposed maximum CO2 limits per cubic meter of concrete. Within the ifm Sibiu project, Holcim responded to this requirement by providing Type II EPD Environmental Declarations for all the concrete delivered in the project, i.e. more than 4,000 cubic meters of ECOPact concrete, directly from the Holcim concrete plant in Sibiu.

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“Green, environmentally friendly buildings are a central part in the decarbonization of the built environment. Holcim, through all its efforts to transform production processes and innovate in the area of ​​green products certified by environmental declarations such as EPD, is a reliable partner and promoter of the transition to a green built environment. Through our involvement in the ifm Sibiu project, we show once again that our solutions meet the demands of reducing embodied carbon, and the project itself is still an exponent and at the same time an important step in the transition to a decarbonized built environment. Through this example from Sibiu, it is becoming increasingly clear to builders and developers that it is necessary to reduce the CO2 footprint, and investors are increasingly turning to green buildings,” adds Anca Alexandru, Director of the Holcim Romania RMX Division. 

Alex Măgdoiu, Managing Director ifm prover Sibiu comments:

“We wanted a green production unit, certified by the German Council for Sustainable Buildings (DGNB), so along with the ingenious technical solutions regarding energy efficiency and environmental protection, the project also required the use of low-carbon building materials to minimize the carbon embedded in construction. The solution proposed by Holcim through ECOPact and the execution carried out by CON-A responded to the requirements to reduce the incorporated carbon and implicitly the carbon footprint as a whole (over the lifetime of the building).”

With a turnover of over 1.45 billion euros, the ifm Group holds 1,170 patents developed for technological automation, over 155,000 customers globally and over 8,750 employees in 180 countries.

“A sustainable construction project from all points of view must be sustainable. This way of building fits perfectly into our way of approaching construction projects and is also our company motto. In the more than 33 years of experience in the construction field in Romania, especially in the industrial segment, we have the necessary engineering solutions, but also the necessary team for the professional execution of the construction. We are honored to carry out the third project for ifm in Sibiu, Holcim has been our partner for years, and ECOPact was the right solution for reducing CO2 emissions. Sustainable construction helps us strengthen our partners’ and society’s trust in our company and, moreover, contributes to the legacy we want to leave behind – that of building sustainably for future generations,” says Cristian Manițiu, CON-A Zonal Executive Director.