Displaying items by tag: Sustainability
Roanoke Cement terminals recertified by Wildlife Habitat Council
14 November 2017US: The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) has recertified four of Roanoke Cement Company’s terminals in Virginia and North Carolina. Units at Front Royal, Richmond and Bristol in Virginia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina received the certification.
"Having the Wildlife Habitat Council's recertification for each of them is a distinguished recognition confirming that all of Roanoke Cement's sites are on the right track ecologically. We look forward to continuing our conservation efforts providing pleasing, ‘green’ features within our terminal campuses. A few examples include pollinator meadows at Front Royal and Winston-Salem, avian habitats for the Eastern Bluebird in Richmond, and stream restoration in Bristol," said David Brinkley, Director of Distribution & Customer Resources at Roanoke Cement Company.
WHC's certification program, ‘Conservation Certification,’ is built on global recognition programs, reflects contemporary conservation efforts and applies its collective learning to the future of biodiversity in the US and the globe. Front Royal, Richmond and Winston-Salem were originally certified in 2013. Bristol was originally certified in 2015. Certification by WHC is valid for two years.
Cemex participates in European Union industrial efficiency research
15 September 2017UK/Europe: Cemex’s South Ferriby cement plant is participating in the European Union (EU) supported enhanced energy and resource efficiency and performance in process industry operations via onsite and cross-sectorial symbiosis (EPOS) project. Designed to enable cross-sector industrial working, the project highlights case studies exemplifying ways for companies to use wastes from other industries to deliver greater efficiency, save raw materials, and contribute to more sustainable processes.
The South Ferriby plant has worked with other companies, including the INEOS chemical company, to determine how waste from INEOS’s production could be used as part of the cement manufacturing process. In addition Cemex Poland and Cemex Research Group in Switzerland will also represent Cemex in the project.
“It is a privilege for Cemex’s cement plant in South Ferriby to participate in this project, collaborating with other companies and partners across Europe. This helps to ensure that we operate our cement plant as efficiently as possible, while learning lessons that we can apply to our other facilities,” said Kevin Groombridge, South Ferriby Cement Plant Environment Manager.
Fives becomes founding member of the Centre for Technologies, Minerals and Recycled Materials of the Future
12 September 2017France: Fives Group has revealed its membership of the Centre for Technologies, Minerals and Recycled Materials of the Future, a new association that aims to develop industrial recycling of minerals for the construction and public works sectors. Fives’ Innovation Department and its subsidiary Fives FCB joined Team2 to found the associate in May 2017.
The centre plans to set up a base to coordinate and test by-product valorisation, as well as the use of raw materials recovered from recycling, at a former cement plant owned by EQIOM group in Dannes, Pas-de-Calais. Fives contribution to the research will include its technologies in crushing, grinding, classifying and pyro processing in the minerals industry.
US: Cemex USA says it invested over US$50m in 2016 on projects and improvements in cement plant operations and other facilities to help reduce environmental impact and conserve nearby wildlife. Four cement plants - Brooksville, Miami, Clinchfield and Victorville - achieved the Energy Star Certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 2017. In 2016 all active Cemex cement plants in the US achieved the Wildlife Habitat Council's Conservation Certification, and several sites in California are currently working to attain that goal.
In May 2017 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department awarded Cemex the 2017 Lone Star Land Steward Award for the Trans Pecos Ecoregion for its on-going commitment to sustainability and land stewardship at the El Carmen Nature Reserve. The company also received the Wildlife Habitat Council's Gold Tier Program of the Year for work at El Carmen in 2016. Other environmental initiatives by the company also include wildlife conservation efforts at various quarries in California.
Southeast Asia: LafargeHolcim has signed an agreement on biodiversity conservation with Fauna & Flora International (FFI). Under the agreement, FFI will perform an independent external review of the group’s existing biodiversity management plans (BMP) at sites in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines; contribute to the development of a group-wide strategy on karst management; identify opportunities for enhancing biodiversity in quarry rehabilitation; and organise a stakeholder dialogue bringing together an external expert group, local government, local non government organisations and LafargeHolcim staff to consult on BMP recommendations. The agreement is intended to help LafargeHolcim meet the biodiversity aspects of its 2030 sustainability plan.
“Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge. We aim to be good stewards of the land where we operate and demonstrate that proper management of quarries can reduce and reverse our impacts and even generate positive change for biodiversity. The new engagement work with FFI will play a key role in achieving our commitment,” said Caroline Hempstead, Group Head of Communications, Public Affairs & Sustainable Development at LafargeHolcim.
Germany: Bernd Scheifele, the chairman of HeidelbergCement, has admitted that his company needs to take action to improve its overall sustainability management following its acquisition of Italcementi. Following the purchase both its specific gross CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material and its alternative fuels mix fell. However, specific emissions of NOx and SOx fell, although specific dust emissions rose in the reporting period. The cement producer also improved accident frequency despite increasing its workforce to 15,781 in 2016 from 9560 in 2015.
Cemex’s Victorville cement plant picks up Wildlife Habitat Council Conservation Certification
10 November 2016US: Cemex USA’s Victorville cement plant in California has been awarded Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation Certification for work towards sustainability, environmental-protection and land-stewardship. The WHC presented the Victorville plant with the certification on 3 November 2016 during a ceremony at the 2016 WHC Conservation Conference in Baltimore. The designation means that all Cemex USA’s cement plants are now WHC-certified. WHC focuses on healthy ecosystems and connected communities. Cemex now has 18 WHC-certified sites in North America, of which fifteen are in the US
Cemex’s WHC Conservation Certification programs are mainly focused on habitat restoration and sustainability. In 2013, two wind turbines were commissioned at the Victorville plant. The plant also earned its fifth Energy Star certification earlier in 2016 for reducing its energy use and environmental impact and the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District awarded Cemex USA’s Victorville plant operation the 2015/2016 Exemplar Award.
"This plant has persevered through good times and bad: two world wars, three different owners and countless upgrades to its facilities and equipment. Through all of the changes, two things have remained constant: a commitment to safety and a commitment to producing a high-quality product," said Hugo Bolio, Cemex USA’s Executive Vice President of Cement Operations and Technology. The Victorville Cement Plant was established in 1916 and was upgraded in 1997 and 2001. It has a production capacity of 3Mt/yr.
Taiheiyo Cement reaches Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index for second year in a row
20 September 2016Japan: Taiheiyo Cement has been selected for the second consecutive year as a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia/Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific) in 2016. The cement producer was also selected for the DJSI Asia Pacific in 2015. This index is the Asia Pacific version of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and serves as one of the key benchmarks for socially responsible investment.
The DJSI are investment indices developed and offered cooperatively by the US-based S&P Dow Jones Indices and Switzerland-based RobecoSAM, which evaluate the sustainability of companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. The DJSI Asia Pacific has selected the top 146 regional sustainability leaders, including 68 Japanese companies out of about 600 leading companies, from developed markets in the Asia Pacific region.
Colombia/Thailand: Cementos Argos has held its position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the fourth consecutive year. Cementos Argos was featured as the most sustainable cement company in the world after obtaining the best score in the construction materials sector. The Colombia-based materials producer was listed along with Thailand’s Siam Cement.
"The permanence in this index confirms our business model, in which we start with sustainability and innovation as pillars of the strategy to create value for our customers, shareholders, communities, employees, and other stakeholders,” said Juan Esteban Calle, CEO of Cementos Argos.
Argos obtained the best score among the following variables: Biodiversity, Operational Eco efficiency, Water related risks, Social Reporting, Labour Practice Indicators and Human Rights, Tax Strategy, Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy, Human Talent Development and Talent Attraction and retention. In addition to being included in the Global Index, Cementos Argos was recognised in Emerging Markets for the fourth consecutive year.
Each year about 2500 global companies, listed on the stock exchange, belonging to about 59 economic sectors, are invited to participate in the DJSI.
HeidelbergCement releases Sustainability Report 2015
21 July 2016Germany: HeidelbergCement has released its seventh Sustainability Report so far. Highlights from the report include a reduction of specific net CO2 emissions by 22% to 606kg/t of cement (compared to 1990 levels) and a decreased clinker factor of 75%. However, specific emissions for NOx, SO2 and mercury all rose slightly from 2014.
“The numbers show what kind of progress HeidelbergCement made in 2015,” said Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement. “We have also substantially intensified our commitment to the development of technologies to use CO2 as a resource, and we have entered into very promising cooperative research projects. This puts us at the forefront of the movement in the cement industry.”
The 2015 report is also the first to present data on water management, following the implementation of industry indicators for water reporting at all cement plants in 2013 and 2014.