CEMEX ‘Water Project’ to standardize water management
New methodology to measure and minimize company’s water footprint and increase water efficiency
CEMEX have 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.
The ‘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-mixed concrete and aggregates sectors.
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.
As water-stressed regions are predicted to expand and increase, so does the level of risk faced by businesses that rely on water. 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.
‘Under existing climate-change scenarios, it is predicted that almost half of the world’s population will live in areas of high water stress by 2030. Therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure that efficient water management plays an important role in our business,’ said Luis Farias, CEMEX’s senior vice-president of energy and sustainability.
‘As CEMEX strives to minimize its environmental footprint, partnering with IUCN helps our company to reduce risk, be good stewards of the environment, and ensure we provide the greatest value for our stakeholders.
The CEMEX-IUCN ‘Water Project’ was presented to members of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, on 12 December 2012. During the one-day conference, CEMEX and IUCN shared lessons learned and ways forward towards improved sustainability of water resources.
