Cimsa joins Cement Sustainability Initiative

Cimsa has joined the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), making it the first Turkish company to join the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) programme.

Mehmet Hacikamiloglu, general manager of the Turkish cement major, stated that the company is looking to lead the sector towards a sustainable future while growing profitably: He said: “We are carrying out our works by focusing on creating a difference in our sector with our experience of more than 40 years, broad product range, innovative personnel and our approach respecting to human and environment. In this context, it is very important for us to be the first Turkish cement company becoming a member to CSI which carries out comprehensive efforts towards sustainable development in our sector. As a part of CSI, which being aware that the proper understanding and management of sustainability issues would be a prerequisite to development and growth for the sector, we will walk towards a sustainable future with firm steps.”

Hacikamiloglu indicated that efficient use of resources, recycling the wastes as energy and raw material and investing in renewable energy resources constitute an important part of the company’s roadmap. He stated: “…we  started this journey three years ago. We publish sustainability report every year and share with the public the progress we achieved in social, environmental and economical field. We have very special targets this year. However, we do not confine ourselves with these and we now make more challenging commitments as a member of CSI. We plan the place we want to be within the next three years from today and focus on intense efforts to achieve this target.”

Founded in 2002 originally as a climate change strategy, the CSI is a voluntary industry initiative. Since then it has been very positive driver in the industry, helping to significantly improve sustainability and competitiveness.