Source: Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico
Cemex announced recently significant progress in key indicators related to sustainable construction, the company’s carbon strategy, environmental and biodiversity management, workplace safety and its contribution to provide affordable housing and infrastructure to communities around the world.
“We are proud to have reached an alternative fuels substitution rate of close to 25 percent in our cement operations in 2011, on track to achieve a rate of 35 percent by 2015. As one of the world’s top building materials companies, we are looking to be a leader in defining and supporting a truly sustainable construction industry.” said Lorenzo Zambrano, chairman and CEO of Cemex.
In addition to gains realized in cement milling, the company cites these factors in North American and oversees businesses as contributing to its sustainability goals:
- Cemex expanded the coverage of its carbon footprint tool—the first of its kind in the building materials industry—that allows measuring greenhouse gas emissions of its cement, ready-mixed concrete and aggregates products. Introduced in 2010, the Cemex CO2 Footprint Tool has now been adopted by 88 percent of its total facilities;
- The company increased the percentage of continuous monitoring of major emissions (dust, NOx and SOx) of its total cement production from 74 to 80 percent, allowing it to minimize those emissions;
- An integral part of Cemex’s sustainability commitment is the continuing, company-wide effort to improve workplace and community safety. In 2011, CEMEX achieved a 12 percent reduction in its employee lost-time incident rate to 2.3 incidents/million hours worked; and
- The company also completed 188 concrete pavement infrastructure projects for highways, mass transit projects, airport runways and city streets, representing more than 8 million square meters of concrete. Cemex expanded its portfolio of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in 2012. BRTs are high-quality, bus-based transportation systems that deliver sustainable, fast and cost-effective urban mobility solutions.
To find out more about Cemex’s sustainability strategy and efforts, the company’s 2011 Sustainable Development Report is available at www.cemex.com/SustainableDevelopment/GlobalReports.aspx and as an iPad App.
