Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. presented its 2012 Sustainable Development Report last month. Among other highlights, the company reported that its different self-construction initiatives, including Patrimonio Hoy, ConstruApoyo and Productive Centers of Self-Employment, benefited more than 2 million people since the programs started. The report summarizes the company’s role in “Building the Cities of the Future.”
“CEMEX has an obligation to help create the sustainable housing and infrastructure that society will need in the coming years. Indeed, as this report details, we are already firmly on that path, and I am confident that we will continue to build on this commitment in the years to come,” said Lorenzo H. Zambrano, chairman of the board and CEO of Cemex.
In this latest report, Cemex shows significant progress in major priority areas such as the company’s carbon strategy, sustainable construction, environmental and biodiversity management, workplace safety, affordable housing and infrastructure initiatives to strengthen communities around the world, and the development of innovative products designed to promote sustainable behavior of its end-users.
Key highlights include:
n The company launched Cemex Green Building Services to
support clients in the execution of LEED- or BREEAM-certified projects with an integrated offer that includes bioclimatic architecture and energy-efficient engineering.
n Cemex introduced a new modular, lightweight building
system for affordable vertical housing construction.
n The company completed 315 infrastructure projects
in 2012, including solutions for sustainable mass transit systems in Latin America, such as Bus Rapid Transit and metro lines.
Within the report, it was stated that in 2012 Cemex transformed agricultural, industrial, and municipal waste into fuel for its cement kilns, achieving a 27 percent alternative fuel substitution rate. Overall, the company’s total low-carbon initiatives resulted in the avoidance of the emission of 7.8 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, equivalent to the emissions made by 1.5 million cars.
