Sources: Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico; CP staff
Cemex Chief Executive Officer Fernando González has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), London. “It is a great honor,” he notes, “particularly as we enter this ‘decade to deliver,’ a period during which we must accelerate our decarbonization efforts. My number one priority as president of GCCA is to collaborate closely with governments and industry to evolve the regulatory framework in ways that promote a more circular, lower-carbon economy.” That echoes sentiments expressed last month during the United Nations General Assembly’s Private Sector Forum, where he linked a regulatory ecosystem and the cement industry reaching its full potential as a contributor to a carbon neutral society.
Among additional 2024-2025 priorities for GCCA, whose members account for 80 percent of global cement production outside of China, González underscores:
• Encouraging regulation that diverts municipal and industrial waste from landfills to waste-to-energy solutions, including substitution of fossil fuels in cement kilns.
• Promoting building codes and practices that allow the extensive adoption of lower-carbon cement and concrete products.
• Establishing market-driving carbon pricing mechanisms that incentivize decarbonization and investment in carbon reduction technologies.
• Seeking funding and alliances to develop new technologies that reduce carbon emissions in cement production and accelerate the scaling of carbon capture, utilization, and storage methods.
González has served as GCCA vice president since 2018 and succeeds his Holcim Ltd. counterpart, Jan Jenisch, as president. Along with Cemex and Holcim, GCCA members with North American market stakes include Buzzi Unicem, CRH, GCC, Heidelberg Materials, Taiheiyo Cement (CalPortland), Titan Cement Group and Votorantim Cimentos.
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