The world population is on track to reach 9 billion people by the year 2050. Of this total, 70% will live in cities, that is, approximately 6.3 billion human beings. Faced with such a change in the distribution of the world's population, an easy challenge to predict is that the demand for infrastructure will be even greater than the current one, after all, more homes, schools, hospitals and roads will be needed. Consequently, the use of construction materials will be expanded, especially cement, one of the most consumed raw materials in the world.
This transformation represents enormous opportunities for the building materials sector as the challenges of urban growth, scarcity and environmental change will become key drivers of our business over the coming decades.
For this reason, we believe that sustainability means achieving our growth ambitions, within the current and future needs of society, by offering eco-efficient and innovative services and construction materials to our customers, acting in an ethical and transparent manner in accordance with the law and regulations, providing a healthy, safe and inspiring work environment for our employees, and supporting our communities so they can thrive.
Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we have an agenda to be worked on in all the countries in which we are present over the next 15 years. There are many initiatives to meet the 17 planned objectives, including those focused on clean energy (SDG7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG9), responsible consumption and production (SDG12) and combating climate change (SDG13).
These challenges are in line with the scenario of great urban concentration, mentioned above, and which also imposes an even greater effort on the cement industry, whose production accounts for around 5% of carbon dioxide (CO) emissions.2) in the world.
It is also worth remembering that the energy matrix that supplies both construction materials production parks and increasingly populous metropolises is still far from ideal. In developed countries, it is made up of only 13% of renewable sources, while in developing countries this number drops to 6%.
Aware of its responsibility to minimize the impacts of the production process, the cement industry signed an agreement during COP 21 that includes a commitment to reduce emissions between 20% and 25% by 2030. Votorantim Cimentos, in particular, aims to reduce emissions of CO2 per ton of cement at 25% by 2020. This target is supported by four main drivers: offering eco-efficient products; replacement of fossil fuels with alternative fuels and biomass in thermal energy generation; research and development aimed at finding alternative raw materials with a lower CO footprint2 for cement production; and investments in energy efficiency and implementation of carbon capture and sequestration projects.
Attested products
In an initiative still little practiced in the sector, Votorantim Cimentos obtained in mid-2016, through the international Environmental Product Declarations® system, environmental declarations for five products in its portfolio – three types of cement, one concrete and one mortar ( SDG12).
The possibility of evaluating the environmental impacts of products throughout their entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to their final destination, and with assurance from a third party, results in certifications that guarantee transparency to the market. This first step, which also ensured that the company was a pioneer in obtaining declarations in the sector in Brazil, is part of a long path yet to be covered in order to guarantee greater eco-efficiency in the products we offer.
Coprocessing as an alternative
In 2015, Votorantim Cimentos created a new area to search for alternative fuel options and raw materials for production. Through the AFR (Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials) area, the company has been intensifying the practice of co-processing – replacing fossil fuels with alternative fuels and biomass in the generation of thermal energy –, including using waste generated by other industries (ODS13 ).
To measure the relevance of the practice, the co-processed volume in 2016 consumed 637 thousand tons of waste, tires and biomass, which contributed to reducing the emission of more than 630 thousand tons of CO2. The environmental benefits, however, go further. Due to this replacement in the thermal matrix, Votorantim Cimentos stopped using the equivalent of 10 thousand trucks of petroleum coke.
When compared to other waste disposal alternatives, coprocessing is certainly the option with the best cost/benefit ratio when considering the environmental and social aspects related to waste management.
Alternative raw materials
When it comes to seeking alternative raw materials for the production process, innovation and sustainability need to go hand in hand. And, in this regard, a case recently awarded in Brazil can be highlighted.
Black mud – or Caron waste – is a residue from the nickel processing process. In Niquelândia (Goiás), Votorantim Metais – a company in the Votorantim SA portfolio, as well as Votorantim Cimentos – generated 20 million tons of black mud, deposited in the Jacuba dam. When analyzed, the residue proved to meet, in natura, to the requirements of pozzolanic materials, and can be used as an addition to cement and, therefore, partially replacing clinker. From an environmental point of view, the use of black mud reduces the presence of clinker in the cement, in addition to allowing better disposal of the waste initially disposed of in a containment dam. In terms of product, the addition of pozzolans results in a cement suitable for applications where high durability is required.
A project that is still embryonic, but which is already encouraging for the management of industrial carbon emissions, is being led by St Marys Cement, a Votorantim Cimentos company in North America. A partnership with the Algal Carbon Conversion (ACC) program, from the National Research Council (NRC), in Canada, and Pond Technologies, resulted in a demonstrative project of an algae biorefinery that recycles CO2 and other industrial emissions, quickly transforming them into biomass through photosynthesis, using a 25 thousand liter photobioreactor (ODS7).
More sustainability
In addition to these actions, when we analyze our challenges for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is worth highlighting the Global Environmental Policy and Green Rules, which constitutes our sustainability strategy and established goals for best practices and which, in this context, guided different continuous improvement and innovation actions (SDG9).
Internally, we work to expand the understanding and implementation of sustainable development measures and practices across all of our operations. At Sustainable Practices Week, for example, we mobilized 3,500 employees from 30 units in Brazil to learn about and engage in social projects that we support (SDG8). For us, by incorporating a culture of sustainability, we expand knowledge, train people and encourage innovations in the area.
One of the advances in this regard was the validation of the Water Management Plan (SDG6), in all units of the Votorantim Cimentos. With the aim of further improving sustainable water management throughout the production chain, we mapped and implemented measures to minimize the impact of our operations on this resource. The main focus of this plan is the units that operate in areas of water scarcity, which are spread across different continents.
We also rely on strong partnerships to apply these sustainability concepts throughout the chain. In conjunction with the Brazilian Society of Speleology (SBE) and the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve (RBMA), the Technical Cooperation (SDG14 and 15), which seeks to find solutions to the challenges of mining in areas with caves and the Atlantic Forest. It is the first time in the cement sector that three organizations of different natures work together to talk about the management of natural heritage.
When promoting initiatives like these, with a long-term focus, we seek something in common with the communities in which we operate: sustainable growth. Between 2012 and 2017, we carried out 500 social projects, totaling an investment of approximately R$ 84 million (SDG8). O ReDes Program, O Sobral do Futuro Project and the Moradign These are highlights of our performance and investment in social responsibility. By establishing an open dialogue and promoting social business management, in addition to local development, we ensure that our presence represents an improvement in people's social well-being and quality of life.
All this because our gaze is focused on the future and we want to leave a legacy of which we are proud. You Our Sustainability Commitments for 2020 (SDG16), based on four strategic pillars (Safety; Ethics and Compliance; Eco-efficiency and Innovation; and Community Engagement), represent not only our beliefs and concepts of sustainability that guide the company's strategies, but also our commitment to people and the world. Because life is made to last.
Get to know the Our Sustainability Commitments for 2020.
