Climate change is today one the world's greatest challenges. The increase in average temperatures will cause a rise in sea levels, high rainfall in some areas, and prolonged drought in other regions, as well as considerable impact on agriculture, health, biodiversity and water supply.
Substantial progress has been made in the last 20 years towards understanding the causes of climate change and determining appropriate actions to mitigate it.
Besides power generation from coal and transportations, the production of cement, along with many other energy-intensive processes, are certain to have an adverse impact. This understanding prompted our sector to take serious action.
In 2002, the companies participating in the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) agreed on a joint Action Plan in order to efficiently address the challenge of sustainable development.
In 2006, we adopted a climate change strategy whose goal is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by investing in innovative technologies and alternative materials.
Our strategy focuses on:
- Energy efficiency (energy management).
- Co-processing (the simultaneous recovery of energy and materials through the use of alternative fuels in clinker production).
- Developing composite cements (with a lower clinker content in cement).