CEMEX's conservation programmes gain WHC certification

CEMEX programmes across ten locations worldwide have earned the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) Conservation Certification. The recognitions were unveiled during the WHC Conservation Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Each year, the WHC Awards recognise programmes and projects demonstrating excellence in corporate conservation.

Special recognition was given to CEMEX’s El Carmen Nature Reserve, which received the WHC’s Desert Project of the Year award for its work to protect and restore habitats of the Chihuahuan Desert. The reserve, located on the border between Mexico and the US, is one of the most biodiversity-rich areas in North America and one of the five great wilderness ecosystems in the world.

With 140,000ha, El Carmen is larger than the city of Los Angeles. It is home to more than 1500 plant species and 450 animal species. This includes nearly 100 American bison, which CEMEX and its partners successfully reintroduced to this area after over a century. 

“We are constantly working to return to nature more than what we extract,” says Vicente Saisó, CEMEX vice president of sustainability. “Our initiatives centre on preserving and restoring ecosystems, protecting endangered species, and making our operations more environmentally friendly. Preserving, restoring, and enhancing nature is key for these efforts.”

In total, 32 CEMEX programmes currently have some level of WHC certification. The company’s conservation efforts are part of its Future in Action programme, which seeks to achieve sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity, and natural resource management with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO₂ company by 2050.