Swiss court to hear Indonesian islanders’ climate case against cement giant

A Swiss court has agreed to hear a lawsuit against cement company Holcim, alleging it is not doing enough to reduce carbon emissions.

The court had decided to accept the legal complaint, according to Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER), which supports the complainants. Holcim affirmed the decision and stated that it would file an appeal.

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Four Pari residents, a low-lying Indonesian island that has experienced repeated flooding as global temperatures rise, file the complaint in January 2023. The case was brought before a court in Zug, Switzerland, where Holcim’s corporate headquarters is located.

This is the first time a Swiss court has accepted a large corporation’s climate lawsuit, according to HEKS.

In the event of success, the group has filed a lawsuit challenging Swiss company’s legal responsibility for its role in global warming.

The lawsuit is one of the first climate cases brought by people in the world’s south who have been directly affected by climate change, according to campaigners who are supporting the case.

Holcim, one of the world’s biggest emitters of carbon dioxide and the biggest so-called “carbon major,” was chosen, according to the non-governmental organization supporting the plaintiffs.

Between 1950 and 2021, Holcim emitted more than 7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to a study co-authored by HEKS and carried out by the United States-based Climate Accountability Institute. This represents about 0.42 percent of the total industrial emissions during that time.

Holcim has stated that it will work with science to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Since 2015, the business claims to have reduced direct CO2 emissions from its operations by more than 50%.

The plaintiffs are suing for damages to Pari Island’s flood protection measures, compensation for damage caused by climate change, and a swift reduction in Holcim’s carbon emissions.