Displaying items by tag: Sustainability
Argentina: Loma Negra and tyre manufacturer Bridgestone have started a partnership to re-use water in the Llavallol suburb of Buenos Aires. Bridgestone will provide Loma Negra with 200,000l/days of filtered water for use at its operations, according to the Mercado newspaper. In return Loma Negra will use less water from the local aquifer.
UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is formally joining the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC). By doing so it is adding its support to the only world-wide industry specific system that certifies the sustainability performance of concrete plants and their supply chain across the globe. Developed in conjunction with social and environmental stakeholders, the CSC is the industry recognised authentication system, with more than 160 plants certified to its standards across eight different countries.
“We are delighted at the decision of the GCCA to champion the many sustainability benefits of concrete by putting their global reach behind the CSC. We look forward to reinforcing and accelerating our work with their support,” said CSC chairman, Christian Artelt.
Clients, developers and contractors can be assured of socially and environmentally responsible practices through the concrete supply chain when specifying CSC certified concrete. Internationally recognised sustainable project assessment methods such as BREEAM and DGNB credit design teams and their projects with points when CSC certified concrete is specified and procured.
SNIC launches Cement Technology Roadmap for Brazil
11 April 2019Brazil: The National Union of Cement Industry (SNIC) and the Brazilian Portland Cement Association (ABCP) have launched a Cement Technology Roadmap to 2050. SNIC president Paulo Camillo Penna said that the document would help the local industry cut its carbon footprint in the medium and long term. The roadmap was developed with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank and a group of academics led by José Goldemberg.
The roadmap intends to reduce specific CO2 emissions by over 30% to 375kg CO2/t of cement in 2050. Key actions to 2030 include strengthening national and international cooperation, promoting new cement standards, raising the clinker substitution rate, promoting the use of alternative fuels in compliance with the National Policy on Solid Waste (PNRS), sharing best practive in energy efficiency and promoting resaerch and development in new greenohuse has mitigation technologies.
US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has announced the winners of the 2019 Energy and Environment (E&E) Awards. The awards recognised environmental and community relations projects that were completed in 2018 and were presented at the 3rd Annual Cement and Concrete Fly-In.
The CalPortland Mojave cement plant in California won the Energy Efficiency award for the installation of a new classifier system for its vertical roller mill that increased energy efficiency by reducing fan power requirements. The plant also installed a control system for the finish mill that will maximise performance and help reduce wear on equipment. The classifier installation reduced the finish mill energy intensity by 1.5 to 2.0kWh/t, and the control system reduced energy intensity by 13%. In 2018 22% of the electricity consumed by the plant came from on-site renewable wind energy generation. CalPortland has implemented significant energy efficiency measures and its energy management program has been recognised by the Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star program as the Energy Star Partner of the Year for 15 years in a row.
Roanoke Cement Company and Titan America’s Troutville plant in Virginia won the Environmental Performance award for being the first cement manufacturing plant in the US to receive ISO 50001 certification for energy management of all aspects of energy procurement, design and use. The plant reduced its total electrical consumption by 10% and fossil fuels use by more than 12%. The plant has also implemented an alternative fuels program as part of its certification for the True Zero Waste Program, administered by Green Business Certification and has received silver status achieving a 96% rate of waste divergence from landfills.
Lehigh Hanson’s Permanente cement plant at Cupertino in California won the Innovation award for the installation of a water treatment system reducing concentrations of metals, including selenium, to meet permit limits. Lehigh Hanson developed a treatment system that combined ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis (UF/RO) technology in conjunction with biological treatment technology to remove metals, including selenium and dissolved solids. This ensured applicable effluent limits were met while optimising treatment capacity and efficiency. This treatment system is the first of its kind in the cement industry ensuring that effluent limits are met while, at the same time, limiting the quantity of waste needed to be managed.
Buzzi Unicem USA’s Greencastle cement plant in Indiana won the Land Stewardship award for opening a 4km smooth packed stone trail in conjunction with the not-for-profit People Pathways organisation as Phase 2 of the Putnam Nature Trail. Buzzi Unicem USA staff and People Pathways used heavy equipment for rough clearing and grading of the overgrown former railroad bed and improved and expanded the physical trail. These areas were then landscaped with trees, native prairie vegetation plugs, interpretive signage, benches, birdhouses and other features. Additional nature trail enhancements include placement of wildlife monitoring cameras along the trail, installation of nesting boxes and interpretive signage, and maintenance of the recently completed restoration of native flora installed in 2017 and 2018.
Cemex’s Lyons cement plant in Colorado won the Outreach award for volunteering work by its staff at the Rocky Mountain National Park in Boulder, Colorado, performing campground improvement activities at Glacier Basin Campground by moving rocks and fallen timber and clearing existing fire pits of ash deposits. The plant then introduced a new community outreach initiative by hosting a Manufacturing Day event, providing local students tours of the quarry and plant to increase youth interest in pursuing a vocation in skilled trades. Additionally, the plant teamed up with the Celestial Seasonings B Strong Ride for cancer care and research for an event aimed at increasing safety awareness while fundraising for two local organizations and their efforts to fight cancer.
Cementos Argos switching to electric trucks in Medellín
05 April 2019Colombia: Cementos Argos is switching its trucks in Medellín to electric-powered vehicles. The new trucks will be powered by 600v batteries and be capable of carrying 4t of cement, according to the La Republic newspaper. The cement producer is planning to expand the electric-powered trucks to other cities subsequently.
Aggregate Industries obtains PAS 2080 verification
05 April 2019UK: Aggregate Industries, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, has obtained PAS 2080 verification, a new Carbon Management in Infrastructure specification. PAS 2080 is the world’s first specification for managing whole-life carbon in infrastructure. Developed by the Construction Leadership Council’s Green Construction Board with the British Standards Institute (BSI), it provides a framework and guidance for measuring and managing carbon across the whole value chain.
“We can help designers at Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage to design lower carbon solutions. Our management systems (ISO 14001 and 50001) ensure consistent and reliable data collection, allowing our Carbon Managers to report embodied CO2 to other members of the value chain. Baseline data made available to the value chain allows carbon targets to be set at design phase and for performance to be monitored against these targets during project delivery. This will result in infrastructure with lower embodied carbon,” said Paul McCaffrey, Sustainable Products Manager at Aggregate Industries.
US: Cemex USA’s Clinchfield Cement Plant in Georgia has been awarded the ISO 14001:2015 certification for its environmental management system (EMS). It is the first Cemex cement operation in the country to earn this certification. The EMS at the plant follows a continuous cycle of environmental policy: planning, support and operation, performance evaluation, then improvement.
The International Organization of Standardisation (ISO) developed ISO 14001:2015 as a standard of processes for organisations to use when setting up, improving or maintaining their environmental management systems to follow established environmental policies and requirements. The guidelines are designed to help organisations improve efficiency, reduce waste, improve overall environmental impact and manage environmental obligations.
The Clinchfield Cement Plant is also one of several Cemex sites to achieve certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council. The plant is also active in the Georgia Black Bear Project. Cemex is currently in the process of achieving ISO 14001:2015 Certification at its eight other active cement plants in the US.
Vassiliko Cement wins environmental awards
01 February 2019Cyprus: Vassiliko Cement has won the Gold Environmental Protection Award in 2018 at the Pancyprian Environmental Awards for Organisations and Businesses. The prize was given for the cement producer’s implementation of its Corporate Social Responsibility Policy. Company staff worked with local communities, non-government organisations (NGO) and others. The competition was organised by the Cyprus Center for Environmental Research and Education, in cooperation with the government and other groups.
Cemex concrete plant in Panama receives certification from Concrete Sustainability Council
01 February 2019Panama: Cemex’s Panama Norte concrete plant has been awarded Responsible Sourcing Certification from the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC). The building materials company says it is the first facility in the ready-mix concrete sector in Latin America to receive this designation. The plant met the CSC requirements via an audit by SGS, an independent certification body.
“We are proud of our Panama Norte plant for becoming the first concrete facility in Latin America to attain CSC certification, and we are committed to foster our leadership in the industry by delivering a superior customer experience and integrating sustainability into all aspects of our business,” said Andres Jimenez, President of Cemex Panama.
Launched in 2017 by 11 founding members - including the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Portland Cement Association and Cemex - the CSC aims to improve the transparency of the concrete sector and highlight the essential role of concrete in creating a sustainable construction sector by getting recognition in green procurement government policies and building rating systems. The CSC acts as a certification system, grading building materials facilities on environmental, social and governance practices throughout supply chains.
Germany: HeidelbergCement has been awarded ‘A-‘ in the climate change category of CDP’s Climate A List. It also received the same score in the water security category. The result marked it as the highest-scoring cement company on the list beating other major international producers such as LafargeHolcim, Cemex and CRH. Notably, these other cement companies each received ‘F’ for water security due to a lack of sufficient information available. CDP analyses data from over 6800 large companies around the world.
“This is a strong confirmation that we are on the right track with our Sustainability Commitments 2030. The excellent result encourages us to further reduce our ecological footprint across all business lines and on a global level,” said Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement.