Cemex sustainability progress update
Cemex announced today significant progress in many key performance indicators related to its global sustainable development strategy, highlighting important achievements in major areas such as sustainable construction, workplace safety, environment and climate change, biodiversity and wilderness preservation, and its contribution to the communities where it operates.
“In 2010 we intensified our commitment to integrating sustainability into all aspects of our worldwide business,” said Lorenzo H. Zambrano, Cemex Chairman and CEO. “As the largest concrete producer in the world, we have both a responsibility and a great opportunity to help lead the transition to a truly sustainable construction industry, and to contribute to improving the quality of life around our communities.
Key highlights are:
• Cemex intensified its work to improve the qualities of concrete to build on its characteristics as the most inherently sustainable building material. Led by its Global Center for Technology and Innovation in Switzerland, Cemex technology centers around the world are creating a range of innovative concrete products to meet the construction industry’s growing demand for high-performance, low-carbon building solutions.
• Cemex introduced a carbon footprint tool- the first of its kind in the building materials industry- that allows measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of our cement, ready-mix, and aggregates products. The tool has already been implemented in all of CEMEX’s operating cement plants, and is now being extended across ready-mix and aggregates operations worldwide. As a result, Cemex will begin to roll-out carbon content information for its products during 2011.
• Cemex achieved a 20.5% reduction on CO2 net emissions per ton of cement produced relative to its 1990 baseline, allowing the avoidance of yearly emissions equivalent to that of 1.2 million vehicles. Cemex reconfirms its 25% reduction target by 2015.
• Cemex significantly increased the use of lower-carbon alternative fuels. In 2010 the rate of alternative-fuel use rose to 20.3% of total fuel mix, almost doubling from the 10.3% recorded in 2008. Cemex has introduced a new 2015 target of 35% substitution rate for alternative fuels, by far the most ambitious commitment in the cement industry.
• In coordination with BirdLife International, Cemex completed a multi-year scoping study on the biodiversity status of worldwide cement and aggregates operations. The study assessed 543 sites and identified 131 sites that overlap with areas of high biodiversity value. This study is being used to develop biodiversity action plans. With
• During 2010, Cemex continued to execute initiatives to build affordable housing and infrastructure in developing markets. Last year, more than 45,000 families were able to build or improve their homes through the Patrimonio Hoy program, bringing the total to more than 300,000 since the program started in 1998. With turnkey infrastructure development programs Cemex completed over 10 million square meters in urban concrete paving in 2010.
• Last year witnessed a number of extreme weather events and natural disasters that severely affected countries and communities where Cemex operates. In response, Cemex intensified its disaster relief efforts, providing emergency humanitarian aid and supporting long term reconstruction efforts to different countries in different situations, like the Haiti earthquake, flooding in Central Europe, and Northern Mexico’s impact of Hurricane Alex.
• An integral part of Cemex sustainability commitment is the continuing, company-wide effort to improve workplace and community safety. In 2010, Cemex achieved a 19% reduction in its employee lost-time incident rate to 2.6 incidents per million hours worked. In 2011 we will implement a new Cemex Health and Safety Management System and we will continue the worldwide rolling out of its LEGACY training program, both aimed at facilitating Cemex moving towards its ultimate goal of zero incidents.
Published under Cement News
