Cement firms support sustainable development

Major cement companies in the Philippines yesterday joined the rest of the world’s responsible cement companies in committing themselves to the ongoing action program dubbed as "Cement Sustainability Initiative."

Philippine Cement Manufacturers Corp. (Philcemcor) president Felix Enrico R. Alfiler said that all cement plants in the Philippines are individually committed to some form of a ‘sustainability agenda’ but this is the first time this has been organized formally to depict a common industry posture.

At present, 11 of the world’s leading cement companies are part of various action programs coordinated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to promote sustainable development, particularly in countries which need to address poverty alleviation issues urgently.

Philcemcor is now putting together individual initiatives that would become the cement industry organization’s "Sustainability Agenda for Action," and which it shall submit to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as the Philippine cement industry’s own contribution to the global effort towards sustainable development.

Sustainable development is regarded as the most strategic approach to poverty alleviation. It blends economic development, social development and environmental protection as interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars. By keeping businesses viable and working under a set of corporate responsibility guidelines and commitment to protect the environment, countries and economies are allowed to track a growth path that does not compromise the environment.

Alfiler said that although all member companies of Philcemcor have their own parameters for sustainable development and environment protection, all of which follow an internationally established set of guidelines, the focus will be on six priority issues: climate protection, fuels and raw materials, employee health and safety, emissions reduction, local impacts and internal business processes.

He said that all major cement companies have all received various international standard certifications that attest to their exemplary performance in the fields of quality, environment protection and occupation health and safety.

"I believe no other industry in the Philippines can proudly say that they have reaped a great abundance of international standard certifications more than our cement industry in such a short span of time," Alfiler added.