By Mark S. Kuhar
For the third consecutive year, Cemex has been recognized in the CDP Latin America Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) as one of the top eight companies in data disclosure related to environmental and CO2 emissions performance.
CDP, formerly Carbon Disclosure Project, is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information. It currently holds the largest collection globally of primary climate change, water and forest risk commodities information and puts these insights at the heart of strategic business, investment and policy decisions. The organization’s main objective is to promote transparency and improve the rate of action on climate change.
Cemex is aware of the importance that climate change has on the economy and on global wellbeing. For this reason Cemex is fully committed to applying its resources and leading edge technologies to minimize the environmental impact of its operations, according to the company.
Receiving this recognition for a third consecutive year is an indicator of the company’s fully integrated strategy and the maturity of the initiatives undertaken by the company to address climate change, Cemex said.
Among other initiatives, Cemex has implemented a methodology for measuring the carbon footprint of its main businesses: cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete, the results of which are communicated to various stakeholders.
Each year, Cemex audits and reports on carbon emissions, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gases Protocol of the WBCSD and World Resources Institute. Sustainability is a key pillar in Cemex’s business strategy and is incorporated in its day-to-day operations.
BirdLife
Consistent with its common vision of achieving environmentally sustainable development and integrating biodiversity conservation into daily business operations, Cemex has renewed its global alliance with BirdLife International for three more years.
“This global alliance continues to demonstrate the mutual benefits that conservation action, both within and outside the quarry, can create for both nature and business,” said Vicente Saiso Alva, corporate director of sustainability at Cemex. “BirdLife and Cemex share a common vision, so they are the right organization to help us continue to build a better future.”
Through ongoing initiatives, this global alliance has delivered meaningful and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature. One successful project in Mexico involved identifying priorities for biodiversity management and furthering scientific knowledge of the emblematic, but poorly understood, Golden Eagle. The next phase will be to enhance its habitat around the quarry and fit radio-trackers on young birds to better understand their post-natal dispersal.
On the other side of the world, a conservation project in the UK aims to reverse the fortunes of the Turtle Dove, an iconic bird whose population is currently halving in number every six years. The project involves growing a special enhanced flower seed mix to be sown at four Cemex quarries, which will offer a much needed sustainable nesting habitat with dense scrub and water.
BirdLife’s Chief Executive Patricia Zurita welcomed the partnership renewal, stating: “BirdLife’s partnership with Cemex demonstrates the power of innovative business-NGO partnerships in terms of the on-the-ground delivery for important bird and biodiversity areas, nature and people. I am delighted with the successes of recent years, through both the national partnerships and biodiversity action plan projects. Now we are poised to take this longstanding partnership to the next level.”