Displaying items by tag: NGO

Sri Lanka: INSEE Cement and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) have signed a memorandum (MoU) of understanding to extend their global biodiversity management partnership until 2026. Projects include quarry restoration, wildlife rescue and release and field surveys of the Koggala and Aruwakkalu mangrove restoration sites and Unawatuna manmade coral reef.

INSEE Cement's environment and corporate social responsibility manager Rohan Lakmal said "Biodiversity is one of the fundamental pillars of INSEE's Sustainability Ambition 2030. Our partnership with IUCN enables INSEE Cement to meet our own ambitious sustainability targets, while also creating more awareness of the general decline in Sri Lanka's biodiversity, and the urgency to do our part to conserve our natural habitats."

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has published a roadmap to carbon neutrality for the cement and concrete sectors by 2050. It says that the strategy document demonstrates how the US cement and concrete industry, along with its entire value chain, can address climate change, decrease greenhouse gases and eliminate barriers that are restricting environmental progress. It added that the document is a ‘major step’ towards engaging US policymakers, industry partners and non-government organisations.

“Cement and concrete have been pivotal in building resilient, durable and sustainable communities that enable people to live safe, productive and healthy lives via structures that withstand natural and man-made disasters,” said PCA President and chief executive officer, Michael Ireland. “The PCA is uniquely positioned to lead the industry-wide ambition to achieving carbon neutrality and enable our member companies and industry partners to continue building a better future.”

The PCA’s roadmap outlines a number of reduction strategies across the various phases of the built environment including production at cement plants, construction including designing and building and everyday infrastructure in use. It also recognises five main areas of opportunity: clinker; cement; concrete; construction; and carbonation (using concrete as a carbon sink).

Notably goals include a reduction of coal and petcoke use at cement plants to 10% in 2050 from 60% at present, a clinker ratio of 75% in 2050 from 90% at present and a reduction of the CO₂ intensity of concrete of 60% by 2050. The roadmap also noted the necessity of carbon capture and storage/utilisation (CCUS) for reducing CO₂ emissions from cement production. However is pointed out that there are no commercial-scale CCUS installations at any cement plant within the US, location and permitting challenges remained and that infrastructure investment would be required to deal with the captured CO2.

India: The Joint Action Committee of the Meghalaya People's United Front (MPUF) and Jaintia National Union (JNU) have demanded that cement plants in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya should ensure that 60% of their work force comprise locals.

"We have demanded that the cement plants should ensure that 60% of jobs be guaranteed to local people. This is based on the agreement signed by them with all concerned," said MPUF's President D Wanmi Laloo. He alleged that the agreements have not been adhered to because not even 20% of those employed are locals, despite the increase in unemployment in the state. Laloo said that the non-governmental organisations (NGO) have already served a one-month deadline for eight cement companies to meet the demand.

Laloo also said that the NGOs would soon conduct an inspection of all the cement plants and seek proper information as to how many local people are employed in different job roles. Demanding proper advertisements to be issued by the companies regarding job vacancies, Laloo said that preference should be given to locals to fill posts, which include technical, electrical, mechanical and labour positions. Laloo has also demanded that companies source their raw materials from local sources and that the cement companies lower the price of their finished products by 30% in the state. "As of now, the price of cement that is being sold here and supplied to other states like Assam and West Bengal, is the same," said Laloo. "This is not acceptable considering the fact that they are depending on the state for raw materials."

Laloo opined that the cement companies are responsible for degradation of the environment and used the pollution of the Lukha River as an example. He said that the NGOs would be compelled to demand the state government shut down the cement plants if they prove to be of no benefit to the locals. "The frequent change of colour of the Lukha River has led us to strongly suspect that this is due to the pollutants released from the cement plants," said Laloo. "Though reports have pointed out coal mining as the reason, the question that arises is why this change in colour has occurred again despite the ban on coal mining for the past year."