Nicola Kimm on decarbonizing a sector responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions

In this episode, Harald Neidhardt interviews Nicola Kimm, Chief Sustainability Officer at Heidelberg Materials, about their sustainability initiatives in the cement industry. Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest producers of cement, concrete, and aggregates. Nicola discusses their sustainability commitments for 2030, including achieving net zero by 2050 and capturing 10 million tons of CO2 by 2030. She explains that cement is responsible for about 8 % of global CO2 emissions, which makes it critically important to decarbonize the industry. Nicola mentions the three levers they use to reduce the environmental impact of cement production: product optimization, process optimization, and carbon capture. She also shares her career journey and the challenges she has faced as a CSO. She shares insights and advice for individuals starting as Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs), emphasizing the importance of working across the organization, understanding challenges, and exercising leadership. Nicola also discusses the role of the CSO in driving critical topics and the importance of having an outside-in perspective. She highlights the impact of circularity initiatives, such as fully recycled concrete. To know more about Nicola's ideas and trajectory, read her essay in our book "Leadership for Sustainable Futures". Keywords CSO, Chief Sustainability Officer, sustainability, cement industry, net zero, carbon capture, circularity, product optimization, process optimization, career journey, leadership, challenges Takeaways Heidelberg Materials has launched sustainability commitments for 2030, including achieving net zero by 2050 and capturing 10 million tons of CO2 by 2030. The three levers to reduce the environmental impact of cement production are product optimization, process optimization, and carbon capture. Nicola Kimm started her career as a manufacturing engineer and has worked in various industries, bringing sustainability knowledge and building strong sustainability strategies. The role of the CSO is evolving to become a board topic and requires T leadership, involving working broadly in the organization and adding value to the overall company. CSOs need skills in learning, building strong teams, influencing, and determining the right sustainability approach based on the company's challenges and maturity. Building a sustainability team requires the right experts and connections. Having an outside-in perspective and listening to external stakeholders is important for CSOs. Challenges for CSOs include the CSRD, EU taxonomy, and determining KPIs. Circularity initiatives, such as fully recycled concrete, can have a significant impact. Better access to concrete demolition waste and governance are needed to drive circular products.