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

Four residents of Pari, a low-lying Indonesian island, filed the complaint in January 2023.Published On 22 Dec 2025A Swiss court has agreed to hear a legal complaint against cement giant Holcim, accusing the company of failing to do enough to cut carbon emissions.NGO Swiss Church Aid (HEKS/EPER), which is supporting the complainants, said on Monday that the court had decided to admit the legal complaint. Holcim confirmed the decision and said it plans to appeal.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4New clashes erupt on Thai-Cambodia border as ASEAN convenes peace talkslist 2 of 4Two Palestine Action hunger strikers in UK prisons admitted to hospitallist 3 of 4US says talks with Russia, Ukraine in Miami ‘constructive, productive’list 4 of 4Sudanese bloc declares Nairobi roadmap, but is it a civilian breakthrough?end of listThe complaint was filed in January 2023 by four residents of Pari, a low-lying Indonesian island that has suffered repeated flooding as rising global temperatures drive up sea levels. The case was submitted to a court in Zug, Switzerland, where Holcim has its headquarters.According to HEKS, this is the first time a Swiss court has admitted climate litigation brought against a big corporation.If successful, it would also be the first case seeking to hold a Swiss company legally responsible for its contribution to global warming, the group has previously said.The lawsuit is also among the first climate cases brought by people in the Global South directly affected by climate change and forms part of a growing push for compensation for “loss and damage”, campaigners backing the case said.The nongovernmental organisation supporting the plaintiffs said Holcim was selected because it is one of the world’s largest carbon dioxide emitters and the biggest so-called “carbon major” based in Switzerland.A study commissioned by HEKS and conducted by the United States-based Climate Accountability Institute found that Holcim emitted more than 7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide between 1950 and 2021 – about 0.42 percent of total global industrial emissions over the period.