Cement News tagged: Environmental
Egypt: ACC to boost alternative fuels usage
Egypt-based Arabian Cement Co (ACC) is seeking to utilise alternative energy to increase its capacity utilisation rate to 100 per cent, the company’s CEO Jose Maria Magrina told Daily News Egypt on the sidelines of the Economic Summit. The company is currently running at approximately 80 per cent of its capacity. Coal accounts for around 70 per cent of energy use, while alternative fuels rep...
Lafarge-Tarmac signs Cookstown waste fuels agreement
The UK's Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, and Devendra Mody, Industrial Director of Lafarge Tarmac, on Saturday signed an agreement allowing the use of waste-derived fuels at the company's Cookstown cement works, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The plant, which employs 86 people, currently uses coal for approximately 95 per cent of its fuel source. The Prosperity Agreement will see Laf...
Cement companies walking the walk in sustainability
Results from an independent audit undertaken across the membership of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released today demonstrates that leading cement companies are improving their sustainability through the CSI collaborative approach. A total of 17 member companies were audited against their commitments and responsi...
Cemex recognised by CDP among top 10 for climate change transparency
For the third consecutive year, Cemex has been recognised in the CDP Latin America Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) as one of the top eight companies in data disclosure related to environmental and CO2 emissions performance. CDP, formerly Carbon Disclosure Project, is an international, not-for-profit organisation providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, ...
Listed Saudi firms see 3.8% increase in 2014 sales
Sales of the listed cement firms in Saudi Arabia grew by 3.8 per cent to hit SAR13.5bn (US$3.6bn) in 2014 compared to SAR13bn in 2013, according to a report published by Al-Hayat daily said. Net profits rose by 6.10 per cent in the year to SAR6.2bn compared to SAR5.83bn in the previous year, the report added. Meanwhile, the National Committee for Cement Companies (NCCC) said the volume of de...
Cemex creates Cemex Energia
Cemex announced today the creation of Cemex Energia, an energy division that aims to develop a portfolio of power projects that will supply about 3-5 per cent of Mexico's electricity needs over the next five years. “We are very enthusiastic about Mexico’s energy sector future, and we will leverage on our experience in developing projects that benefit the country,” said Fernando A Gonzalez, CE...
Cement Association of Canada welcomes BC government action on Carbon Tax
The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) welcomes the British Columbia (BC) government's efforts to improve the province's carbon tax. The BC Carbon Tax is applied only to domestically produced cement while imported cement from the US and Asia is exempt, resulting in net losses to both the BC economy and the broader fight to reduce GHGs, the CAC notes. With local manufacturers facing higher cost...
Cuba introduces low-carbon cement in Guantánamo
The production of domestically-developed low-carbon cement has started in the Cuban province of Guantánamo. The new type of cement blends PP350 Portland cement with activated clay and crushed limestone. Dr Iván Machado López of the Structure and Materials Research and Development Centre (CIDEM) of the Central University of Las Villas explained the product is the result of years of investiga...
PCA: as oil prices fall, cost of asphalt is on the rise
Despite falling oil prices, the cost of paving with asphalt continues to rise across the US. A recent analysis from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) shows that asphalt prices have reached record highs during the last six months. Oil prices declined 44 per cent in the second half of 2014, and during the same period asphalt prices increased 1.5 per cent. A decline in asphalt prices has yet...
CAC applauds Ontario government's leadership on Climate Change
The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) commends the Wynne Government for its 'comprehensive and thoughtful' discussion paper on climate change, Ontario's Climate Change 2015, released yesterday by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. The CAC agrees that how to plan, build and power our communities to transition to a low-carbon and resilient economy needs to be rethought. "As ...
Three Holcim Philippines plants receive energy efficiency accolade
Three cement plants owned by Holcim Philippines have been commended by the Department of Energy (DOE) for their respective energy saving initiatives. The Bulacan facility received its third consecutive Outstanding Award under the Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Awards. The Lugait works in Misamis Oriental achieved its first Outstanding Award, while Holcim's Bacnotan, La Union plant receiv...
MPA and Bumblebee Conservation Trust re-affirm commitment to work together
The Mineral Products Association (MPA) and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) have re-affirmed their commitment to work together through renewing their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU, originally signed at the end of 2012. The MoU aims to ensure the good work of both organisations continues and develops, including facilitating access to quarry sites for monitoring, advising and educat...
Nine Cemex USA sites recognised by Wildlife Habitat Council
Nine Cemex USA sites received certifications through the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) Corporate Lands for Learning and Wildlife at Work Programs. Corporate Lands for Learning Program Certifications The Corporate Lands for Learning certification recognises programs for their exemplary conservation education and outreach opportunities provided to their local communities. Four of the site...
Peru’s cement market stable in 2014
Peru’s cement market absorbed around 881,360t of cement in December 2014, according to the latest data from the country’s cement association, Asocem. Domestic producers reached an output of 932,603t in the last month of 2014, of which 37,491t of cement were exported as well as 30,014t of clinker. Comparative figures for December 2013 revealed a 3.3 per cent increase in national dispatches b...
Dalmia Bharat Group recognised for CSR achievements
Dalmia Bharat Group has been awarded the CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2014 for 'Significant Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)’, beating 20 other companies to the title. This is the third consecutive year that the Indian cement producer has been recognised for its sustainability efforts. Commenting on the award, Gautam Dalmia, managing director, of the Dalmia Bharat Group, ...
Nine Lafarge North America conservation projects certified by Wildlife Habitat Council
Nine conservation projects at Lafarge North America sites across the US were certified or recertified this year by the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC). Six of these projects fall under WHC's Wildlife at Work program, which oversees voluntary efforts that go beyond regulatory requirements to restore and conserve wildlife habitats on corporate-owned land. The remaining three projects operate unde...