In 2020, Votorantim Cimentos began a new cycle of sustainability goals for the next decade. For us, sustainability is a journey that goes hand in hand with our history of over 80 years. Today, we are a construction materials, minerals and solutions company, with a presence in 11 countries.
Our vision of the future is based on the concept of flexible solidity. We are solid in delivering what we propose with excellence, ethics, safety and global action, with a strong internal culture and values. At the same time, we are flexible in adapting to the new needs of society, using trends and technological developments to make better use of resources, evolve processes and positively impact people's lives. The new coronavirus pandemic is a good example of how we have been able to adapt to changes, from the way we work, ensuring the safety of our employees to market challenges and social action, which has proven to be even more necessary during this period.
It is in this scenario of constant transformation that we launch our Sustainability Commitments for 2030, a document that consolidates Votorantim Cimentos' strategic vision to generate value throughout our chain. The commitments are also aligned with the concept of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), what evaluates companies' operations in the environmental, social and governance areas. In today's world, it is no longer possible to evaluate a company solely by its financial performance. It is necessary to provide visibility to the path taken by the company to achieve this result, demonstrating its environmental and social impact and compliance with its actions (governance) with transparency.
Our sustainability commitments are divided into seven pillars: ethics and integrity; health, safety and well-being; diversity and inclusion; innovation; environmental footprint; circular economy It is shared value. There are 19 goals that aim to align our entire global operation with the current and future demands of society, generating a positive impact throughout its chain and in the communities in which we operate.
All of our themes are also integrated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global agenda with 17 goals and 169 targets to be achieved by 2030. I would also like to highlight that we have set the ambition of achieving carbon neutral concrete by 2050, as signatories of the Carbon Neutral Concrete Climate Ambition 2050 by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA).
Talking about sustainability commitments means explaining how we will maintain our operations and activities today without compromising the future of the planet. To materialize where we want to go, I will summarize our 2030 commitments and indicate for each of them other articles that we have already published on Linkedin by Votorantim Cimentos experts about ongoing actions involving each of these pillars. At the end, leave your opinion about our journey.
- Ethics and integrity – We operate with integrity and transparency
The path to excellence invariably involves ensuring high standards of compliance, ethics and transparency. Therefore, we spare no effort to ensure that these premises are always reflected in the company’s reality and day-to-day activities. This non-negotiable commitment is transversal and the basis for all other commitments undertaken by Votorantim Cimentos. Our Global CEO, Marcelo Castelli, talks about how we deal with compliance on a daily basis in the article Compliance and sustainability in practice.
- Safety, health and well-being are fundamental values
We respect life in all its forms, promoting a healthy and safe environment for our employees, contractors and stakeholders in all activities. In this article of mine There are no shortcuts to security I bring a little of our vision. By 2030, our goal is to achieve a zero fatality rate and a global lost-time accident rate of less than 0.40, including employees and contractors.
- Innovation – we co-create sustainable solutions
We pave the way for the future of civil construction with a simple, fast and sustainable approach. We drive the cement industry towards clean technologies and processes that are increasingly aligned with the preservation of natural resources. Our goal for 2030 is to reach 30% of revenue from sustainable solutions. This means that this percentage will be obtained through products and/or services that mitigate our environmental footprint or offer environmental benefits in their application compared to traditional options. Our general manager of R&D, Silvia Vieira, shows in the text Concrete: innovation and sustainability how we are working to develop more sustainable cements.
- Diversity and Inclusion – A diverse and inclusive environment
We foster a diverse, inclusive and inspiring environment for our employees and stakeholders. We believe that the dissemination of diverse ideas helps build a more inclusive and equitable society. Therefore, we want to reach at least 25% women in leadership positions by 2030. Our Diversity Manager, Aldo Frachi, explains in detail how we are working on this issue in the article What is your purpose for making a difference in the world?.
- Environmental Impact – We reduce our environmental footprint
We manage the impacts of our operations and work to make them increasingly sustainable, thus reducing our impact on the environment and natural resources. We have a goal of reducing CO2 emissions per ton of cement to 520 kg by 2030.. Between 1990 and 2019, we have already reduced CO2 emissions per ton of cement by 23%, from 763 kg to 591 kg. We also expect to achieve 45% of electricity from renewable sources. In the article Reduction in CO2 emissions is synonymous with competitiveness in the cement industry Our sustainability manager, Fabio Cirilo, talks about our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.
- We promote Circular Economy businesses
We take a regenerative approach to doing business, seeking to eliminate waste, revalue by-products from other industries and increase the use of renewable resources. We aim to achieve 53% of thermal substitution, the percentage of energy coming from alternative fuels to fossil fuels, and reduce the clinker factor to 68% – the ratio between total clinker consumption and cement production. We also aim to develop a 70% recycled concrete, which will be returned to the company's operations and recovered as new concrete or aggregate.
An example of what we are already doing in the Circular Economy is the creation of our co-processing business unit, Verdera, where we use the correct disposal of waste to produce thermal energy in cement kilns. Our general manager of co-processing, Eduardo Porciúncula, talks about this new unit in the article A new purpose for waste management.
- We generate Shared Value with our communities
We are an important part of the communities where we operate and sell our products. We believe in the transformative power of our people and our solutions, and we are committed to creating shared value by improving people’s lives. Our Social Transformation Manager, Priscilla Alvarenga, shares how we have been involved in the communities where we operate during the coronavirus pandemic in this article. Social action: a key element for crisis management in the pandemic.
By 2030, our goal is to have 90% of our operations with engagement, impact and/or development programs in communities and 20% of employees engaged in volunteer initiatives. We also intend to reach the percentage of 60% of local sourcing, that is, to make purchases from companies in the places where we operate, respecting the specificities and definitions of each region in which we are present.
