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Article

2 Mar 2018

Author:
Western Sahara Resource Watch

What is HeidelbergCement doing in occupied Western Sahara?

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A few kilometers outside of the capital city of Western Sahara, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement is operating a cement production plant. The factory is owned by Ciments du Maroc (CIMAR), which in turn is part of the German multinational via an Italian subsidiary, Italcementi. Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) on 1 March 2018 sent a letter to HeidelbergCement, enquiring about whether it had obtained consent from the representative of the people of Western Sahara to operate in the occupied territory. WSRW also asked questions regarding the company's clients and policies. WSRW already on 20 October 2016, 19 February 2017 and 5 December 2017 contacted HeidelbergCement's subsidiary Italcementi, which is in charge of the operation. No response was received. WSRW also sent a letter to Italcementi's former subsidiary Italgen on 19 October 2016, without obtaining a response. Italgen has built the energy infrastructure associated to the CIMAR factory, opened in 2011 by the secretary-general of the Moroccan Ministry of MinesHeidelbergCement and its subsidiaries systematically place the El Aaiún cement factory in the wrong country...