Juso Zug demands consequences for cement manufacturer Holcim

Juso Zug activists protested with a banner in front of the Holcim Group's headquarters on Monday.

The Young Socialists (JuSo) wanted to draw attention to the responsibility of large corporations for the recent climate disasters in Misox, Zermatt and the Maggia Valley in Switzerland, according to a press release from Juso Zug. They therefore demonstrated in front of the Holcim headquarters in the Grafenauweg in Zug on Monday. Their demand: climate-damaging companies such as Holcim should bear the costs of the damage they have caused.

The recent storms are no coincidences, but are the consequences of a climate crisis that is costing lives. Holcim, Switzerland's largest CO₂ emitter according to Juso Zug, is accused of ‘greenwashing’ (i.e. making unsubstantiated claims to deceive consumers into believing that a company's products are environmentally friendly) and continuing to prioritise profit over climate protection.

The activists held their banners high                        Photo: zvg

It is claimed that Holcim is one of the 50 most climate-damaging companies in the world, and that the company has been responsible for almost 0.5% of total global CO₂ emissions since 1950. The Juso demands that Holcim should immediately withdraw from the cement business, that the company be nationalised and democratised, and that it takes on the costs of climate damage.