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| Cemex to standardize its operations´ water management Mexican cement maker Cemex has developed a methodology to standardize water measurement and management across all of the company's operations. Starting this year, this methodology will be rolled out to all of the businesses in the countries in which Cemex operates in order to minimize the company's water footprint and increase its water efficiency. This "Water Project" is the result of a three-year partnership between Cemex and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the improvement and efficiency of water management in the cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates sectors of the building materials industry. The roll out of this methodology will start in 2013, and will focus initially on measuring the company's water footprint, and secondly on defining actions to increase its water efficiency and reduce its water usage. This three-year partnership has so far leveraged important findings from data collection to minimize Cemex's water footprint and increase efficiency. As water-stressed regions are predicted to expand and increase, so does the level of risk faced by businesses that rely on water. Water is an important natural asset for the production of cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates at Cemex sites around the world. Accordingly, sharing available water resources equitably among all stakeholders—including ecosystems—and reducing risk for business operators are key components of the Cemex-IUCN partnership. The Cemex-IUCN "Water Project" was presented to members of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, on December 12, 2012. During the one-day conference, Cemex and IUCN shared lessons learned and ways forward towards improved sustainability of water resources. The event was hosted by the Spanish Permanent Representation to the European Union, numerous members of the European Commission, key environmental NGOs, trade associations, environmental think tanks, ambassadors from several nations, and other important stakeholders. Key participants included Dr. Mark Smith, Director, IUCN Global Water Program, Dr. James Dalton, Coordinator Global Water Initiatives, IUCN Global Water Program, and Benedikt Jodocy, VP Legal & Sustainability, Cemex Germany. write your comments about the article :: © 2013 Construction News :: home page |