CEMEX join efforts to clean up river Nile
Company to use some collected waste as alternative to fossil fuels in Assiut cement plant
CEMEX have signed a three-year agreement to support waste-removal efforts in Egypt’s Nile river. Some of the waste collected will be used as a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels at CEMEX’s Assiut cement plant.
The company will be collaborating with VeryNile, an initiative supported by the Ministry of the Environment in Egypt that develops eco-friendly solutions to remove inorganic waste from the Nile.
CEMEX will provide financial support to double the amount of waste collected and contribute to the direct employment of more than 100 people in the fishing community of Qursaya.
The programme also includes activities to raise awareness among citizens to help reduce pollution and preserve the Nile.
‘The unique characteristics of our production process allows us to co-process over 1.5 million tonnes of waste per year in the EMEAA region, equivalent to the annual waste generated by a city the size of Madrid or Berlin,’ said Sergio Menendez, president of CEMEX Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
‘This collaboration will help ramp up waste collection efforts in the Nile, replace fossil fuels in our production process, and lower our carbon footprint in Egypt.’
CEMEX are net consumers of waste and provide waste-management solutions in several cities around the globe. In 2021, CEMEX managed over 23 million tonnes of waste and by-products from other industries globally.
Using waste as an alternative to fossil fuels mitigates the amount of waste sent to landfills. As part of their Future in Action programme to reach carbon neutrality, CEMEX aim to increase their alternative fuels consumption globally to 50% by 2030.
The partnership with VeryNile also aligns with CEMEX’s commitment to foster a just transition to a low-carbon economy by remaining mindful of employability and lessening the divide between developed and developing nations. Education will be another major component of the partnership, with an awareness campaign to change human behaviour and reduce the creation of waste.
CEMEX say their commitment to clean waterways extends throughout their global operations. In Mexico, the company is part of the ‘United for the Mexican Beaches’ initiative. In June 2022, beach clean-up activities were carried out along 5km of coastline in Oaxaca in which more than 50,000 PET plastic bottles were collected.
