Producers of mineral materials present their proposals to maintain a local and sustainable industry

1st axis: promote local sectors

The UNICEM sites (quarries, transformation plants, ready-mixed concrete production units, stone-cutting workshops, etc.), distributed throughout the territory, as close as possible to their customers, allow a large responsiveness, promote short circuits and contribute positively to reducing the carbon footprint linked to transport. This local network also contributes to the creation and maintenance of employment in many rural areas. The health crisis has highlighted the limits of globalization and the current conflict in Europe shows, tragically, the need to ensure a supply of local raw materials, including materials.

In order to maintain France's ability to source locally and sustainably, the industry is asking for measures to be taken to:

• Promote more, in calls for tenders, productions in short and national loops as well as companies strongly committed to a CSR approach;
• Use the lever of public procurement, which represents 10% of GDP, or approximately 200 billion euros, to achieve these objectives.

2nd axis: support an industry mobilized and committed to ecological transition

The fight against climate change requires promoting the use of the right material in the right place and in the right quantity, in particular by using a mix of materials.

UNICEM would like the simplified dynamic LCA method, which serves as the basis for calculations of the carbon weight of structures, to be reconsidered. This method, imposed against the advice of the construction sector, society and scientific experts, reduces the emissions expected in 50 years, and thus gives an advantage to biobased products and to wood in particular.

To meet the objectives set by RE2020, the sector is developing "low-carbon" concrete which offers performance qualities of use and durability equivalent to conventional material, while emitting less greenhouse gas, with the objective of compete with other building materials, and all construction players, to offer low-carbon structures.

In addition, the sector will continue the efforts undertaken for many years in terms of recycling inert waste from deconstruction. The objective is to reach 90% of inert waste recycled in 2028 (against 76% today). However, neither the use of alternative materials nor the use of recycled materials will cover all the needs of construction and public works in the years to come. It will always be necessary to have quarries in all territories to ensure their supplies of materials. Quarries are installations classified for the protection of the environment, subject to a special regime since the duration of their authorizations of activities is limited to 30 years by the environment code and, concretely in the majority of cases, to 15 years by the DREALs. In order to provide companies with more legal certainty, to optimize investments and reduce administrative constraints, the sector requests that quarry authorizations be granted for the period necessary for the complete exploitation of the deposits, without prejudice to the authorities. prefectural authorities to adapt the prescriptions.

3rd axis: supporting the modernization of the building stone industry

France is rich in a very varied subsoil which allows nearly 500 quarries to extract ornamental and construction rocks throughout the territory: limestone, granite, schist, marble, sandstone, lava, gneiss...

The extractive and stone processing sector, made up mainly of VSEs and SMEs, supplies all sectors of construction, roads, urban development, funerals and also heritage. It has allowed, over time, the construction of a rich architectural heritage specific to each region, a heritage that contributes to the tourist attraction of France. All this with a very reduced climatic and environmental impact: low energy consumption, intrinsic environmental qualities, the possibility of recycling or almost infinite reuse.

However, for many shipyards, imported products are chosen for cost and time reasons. Between 2010 and 2018, imports led to the disappearance of 20% of companies in the stone profession.

For the survival of French industry, UNICEM calls for the implementation of a major investment plan at the national level, which will allow SMEs and VSEs in the sector to equip themselves with processing plants in the best possible condition. art.

For Alain Boisselon, President of UNICEM: “On the occasion of the presidential elections, UNICEM challenges the candidates on the need to maintain a strong French mineral materials industry, from a dual economic and ecological perspective. Our goal is to educate future executives. Support for the mineral materials industry is key to maintaining France's ability to source local and sustainable materials. »