In April 2013, Cemex's German cement plants attained an alternative fuels substitution rate of 82.6 per cent—the first country within the company’s global operations network to reach this milestone. Furthermore, its Kollenbach cement plant in Beckum, Germany, averaged a 90.9 per cent substitution rate for the month, Cemex announced in a statement.

“Beyond significantly reducing fuel costs, our expanding use of alternative fuels fosters the sustainable management of our earth’s natural resources,” said Eric Wittman, President of Cemex in Germany.  “In April, our Kollenbach plant replaced 12,000t of coal with refuse-derived fuel, bone meal, and old tyres.  Indeed, the plant’s daily substitution rate of more than 94 per cent encourages us to set the bar even higher.”
 
In 2012, Cemex consolidated its leadership in the use of lower carbon alternative fuels, reaching an alternative fuels substitution rate of 27.1 per cent, one of the highest rates among its global peers.  Overall, the company’s alternative fuel strategy enabled it to avoid the use of 2.3Mt of coal and the emission of 1.8Mt of CO2 into the atmosphere.