Taking into consideration the expectations of the communities near the Group’s industrial and mining sites is a crucial factor for the long-term sustainability of Imerys’ activities. Worldwide, Imerys seeks to increase the positive impact from its activities and reduce the negative aspects.

The communities in which Imerys is based are extremely diverse. Consequently, the Group’s decentralized management method is appropriate for dealing with community relations. This flexibility enables each entity to adapt to the values and local constraints of the host community. Under its “Community Relations” protocol, Imerys formally delegates responsibility for community relations to the most senior employee in charge of managing the facility. Under the community relations protocol, he or she is required to draw up a stakeholder inventory and create a plan for continuous improvement
of stakeholder relations. Available in seven languages, the protocol also encourages constructive dialogue with stakeholders and requires an appropriate response to all plausible stakeholders’ complaints.


Within this framework, the Group’s sites have developed projects along a number of axes such as contributing to local economic development, promoting education and training, and participating in community improvement activities. The success of this approach is reflected in the number and quality of projects on community relations submitted every year for the in-house Sustainable Development challenge. These best practices are now shared throughout the Group.