Sources: Cement Sustainability Initiative, Geneva; CP staff
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), along with partners from the Americas, Europe and Asia, has launched a responsible sourcing certification system for concrete.
A CSI counterpart chartered in November 2016, the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) is crafting the system to help concrete, cement and aggregate companies gain insight in the level to which they operate in an environmentally, socially and economically responsible way. CSC certification covers raw material sourcing, provenance and production, plus economical, social and environmental impacts.
The CSC certification system consists of an operational manual and assessment criteria with application guidance, detailed here. A typical certification process, CSC notes, includes a number of easy steps; is applicable to all sizes of concrete, cement and aggregate companies; and, comprises Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. By creating a certification system for responsibly sourced concrete, the Council aims to improve transparency of the concrete sector, and highlight the essential role of concrete in creating a sustainable construction sector by securing recognition in “green” procurement government policies and building rating systems.
In addition to CSI members with major North American presence—Cemex, CRH, HeidelbergCement, LafargeHolcim and Titan—founding CSC members include American Concrete Institute, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and Portland Cement Association. CSC charter officers are Chairman Dr. Alexander Röder (Cemex) and Vice-Chair Dr. Christian Artelt (HeidelbergCement). — www.concretesustainabilitycouncil.org