Bamburi's burning ambitions
The challenges of burning alternative fuels and providing a sustainable future for cement production in East Africa are enormous. However, Bamburi Cement, a Lafarge subsidiary, has been a pioneer in waste tyre burning and kiln firing with biomass. Its high substitution of fossil fuels in both Kenya and Uganda is a mark of how far the company has come, as the East African cement major continually seeks to reduce its environmental impact by finding ways to obtain value from waste. By Susan Maingi, Bamburi Cement Ltd, Kenya.
Tyres impounded by Kenya Revenue Authority, ready to be transported to the cement plant
Bamburi Cement’s principal activities are in the manufacture and sale of cement and cement-related products. The company also owns and manages a world-class nature and environmental park developed from rehabilitated quarries.
One Bamburi’s key foci continues to be sustainable relationships with its stakeholders at the local and national level. As members of Lafarge Group, the company has entered a new phase in its sustainability commitment with the launch of Sustainability Ambitions 2020. The 34 new aims are organised around the three main pillars of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental – and they are coupled with demanding quantitative targets.
