CEMEX reaffirms commitment to UN SDGs

CEMEX has announced that it is reaffirming its commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on climate action; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; and industry, innovation and infrastructure.

CEMEX CEO, Fernando A González, participated in a CEO roundtable hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN’s New York City headquarters on 19 September 2022. The roundtable included 11 CEOs representing companies from around the globe and focused on proposals for strengthening the private sector’s commitment to the SDGs.

“CEMEX’s core purpose is to build a better, more sustainable, future,” said Mr González. “We recently agreed to strengthen our partnership with the UN on topics aligned with our strategy and areas of expertise including sustainable finance, supply chain, diversity and inclusion, and a just transition to a carbon neutral economy. Moreover, through our flagship decarbonisation program, Future in Action, we seek to lead the way in climate action for the building materials industry.”

In 2022, for the second consecutive year, the world achieved little progress towards the SDG 2030 targets. The roundtable united leaders from companies that are strongly contributing to the UN Global Compact (UNGC) to discuss how to inspire ambitious and principled business leadership committed to achieving the SDGs. The UNGC is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, and an ideal platform for the private sector to align its strategies and operations to the SDGs.

Recent contributions to the SDGs by CEMEX include the launch of Vertua, its lower-carbon and net-zero CO₂ family of products; agreements to clean beaches and waterways, including the Nile River, and use the recovered waste as an alternative fuel in its operations; a new concrete 3D printing construction solution with the potential to reduce housing costs; and the transition of several cement plants to renewable electricity.

CEMEX was also present at the SDG Investment Forum organised by the UNGC’s CFO Coalition. At the event, CEMEX CFO, Maher Al-Haffar, spoke about CEMEX’s decarbonisation pathway, the experience of aligning its investments to the SDGs, and the innovations required to deliver only net-zero concrete by 2050. Earlier this year CEMEX published its Green Financing Framework, which together with its Sustainability-Linked Framework, align its corporate finance strategy to its sustainability commitments and support the financing of SDG-aligned investments in areas such as CO₂ emissions reduction, clean electricity, energy efficiency, clean transportation, water management, air quality, circular economy, and waste management.