Following up on the celebration of the United Nations "International Day of Clean Air for blue skies" Cemex has reaffirmed its commitment to the goal of improving air quality in cities and surrounding areas.

Cemex has invested over US$280m since 2013 in technology to measure, control, and mitigate the gas and particle emissions in its operations. Through this continuous investment, the company has introduced international standards consistent with the world's strictest emissions regulations throughout its operations.

By the end of 2019, Cemex achieved significant emissions reductions when measured against its 2005 baseline, the year when the company initiated its investments to improve its air quality. As of 31 December 2019, Cemex has reduced dust emissions by approximately 90 per cent, sulphur emissions by (SOx) almost 60 per cent, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by close to 50 per cent.

"Currently, 95 per cent of our cement plants have an ISO 14001 certification, which confirms our commitment to the most rigorous environmental standards, while 97 per cent of our production facilities have already implemented a continuous monitoring system for the principal air pollutants." said Fernando A Gonzalez, CEO of Cemex.

"These systems are designed to allow us to adjust in real-time, seeking to ensure that we always comply with the limits established under the world's strictest regulations. The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us once again of the importance of clean air and blue skies to our health and wellbeing. This explains our commitment to continue investing in mitigating our emissions in every one of our operations in the world," said Mr Gonzalez.

"Commemorations such as ‘International Clean Air Day for blue skies’ remind us all, especially global leaders, of the enormous responsibility we have to safeguard natural resources and protect the environment for the benefit of present and future generations," he added.