Water, Biodiversity & Air quality

06 - Water, Biodiversity & Air quality

Conserving our links to nature

Recognizing the deep connection between climate and nature, we are committed to responsible and sustainable business practices to help preserve a healthy planet for future generations. We positively impact our value chain to contribute to a nature-positive and carbon-neutral future. Through targeted action plans, we monitor and prioritize our operations to generate positive outcomes for nature and society.

Cemex Environmental Management System

Our risk-based Environmental Management System (EMS) systematically audits internal compliance with our environmental policy across all our global operations. EMS is aligned with global environmental standards such as the ISO 14001 and the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, allowing us to achieve ISO 14001 certification in 83% of our cement sites. This past year, we implemented EMS in 91% of our businesses, compliant with our internal environmental management standard.

The 12 EMS Elements

+ −
  1. Leadership and Accountability: Line management throughout Cemex is responsible and accountable for the environmental performance of their business activities.
  2. Environmental Aspects & Impacts: We will constantly identify our operations' real and potential environmental aspects to take appropriate action to eliminate or minimize the environmental impacts.
  3. Legal and other requirements: Our operations comply with all applicable environmental laws, regulations, company policies, procedures, and all other requirements to which the company subscribes at all times.
  4. Competency, Training, and Awareness: Our employees’ competencies are continually monitored, and training, education, and awareness are carried out to implement their tasks in line with the Company's policies, standards, and customer expectations.
  5. Communication and Consultation: Open and proactive communications are established and maintained with employees, contractors, visitors, regulatory agencies, public organizations, and communities regarding the Environmental aspects of our business.
  6. Document Control: Documented records shall be maintained as necessary to demonstrate conformity to company requirements.
  7. Operational Controls: Processes on how to perform tasks are established, documented, and implemented in all of Cemex's operations.
  8. Contractor Management: We will monitor Contractors’ performance and ensure our procurement processes contain the rigor to deliver our environmental expectations.
  9. Environmental Incident Reporting: Environmental incidents will be reported, investigated, and analyzed to prevent recurrence and improve performance through corrective actions and preventative measures.
  10. Emergency Preparedness and Response: Emergency management plans are maintained to cover all Cemex facilities, locations, and products to prevent or minimize environmental impacts.
  11. Internal Environmental Audits: Operations will implement and maintain systems to systematically monitor and review degrees of compliance with legal and company requirements.
  12. Environmental Management Review: Top management reviews the Cemex Environmental Management System at planned intervals to ensure its ongoing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness.

Conserving our links to nature

Recognizing the deep connection between climate and nature, we are committed to responsible and sustainable business practices to help preserve a healthy planet for future generations. We positively impact our value chain to contribute to a nature-positive and carbon-neutral future. Through targeted action plans, we monitor and prioritize our operations to generate positive outcomes for nature and society. As part of our Future in Action commitment, we prioritize environmental management and conservation to secure the long-term sustainability.

Water Action Plans (WAPs)

+ −
Through our Water Stress Map Assessment, we identify operations located in water-stressed areas and develop tailored Water Action Plans (WAPs) to mitigate water-related risks. Currently, 30% of our operations located in water-stressed zones have implemented WAPs. Of these, 15% are in high water-stress zones, and only 1% are in extremely high water-stress zones. These plans incorporate recommendations from the World Wildlife Foundation Water Risk Filter tool to enhance our water management strategies.

Water awareness & internal capacity

+ −
Enhance understanding of water stress, like its context, potential risks, and opportunities. This includes establishing a Water Policy, conducting water stress studies, and analyzing future water scenarios.

Operations, performance, measurement & management

+ −
Implement and adhere to our internal procedures and international guidelines by applying theoretical knowledge through practical examples in all our operations. This includes standardizing measurements and utilizing performance templates.

Internal efficiency & Cemex's solutions

+ −
Analyze and share our globally compiled best practices in water management and conservation to assess their replicability across our worldwide plants, optimizing internal efficiency and standardizing processes.

Value chain engagement

+ −
Engage with the value chain to emphasize the importance of their participation in Cemex's water footprint. This includes a supplier program, mapping and prioritization, as well as a focus on continuous improvement to ultimately deliver more value to the business.

Stakeholder engagement

Enhance understanding of communities' water challenges, such as scarcity, pollution, and access issues, and explore proactive strategies for addressing them, including sustainable water management practices and community engagement initiatives.

Performance & Targets

We have set 2030 targets, all measured against our 2021 baseline, for freshwater withdrawal reduction across our three businesses, strengthening our water principles and advancing our strategy.

Freshwater withdrawal reduction

Our objective is to transition to non-freshwater sources, reducing reliance on fresh water that competes with human and agricultural needs.

Non-freshwater use

By increasing water use from treatment plants, rain, and residual from other industries, we aim to access enough water and reduce the pressure aggravated by climate change and competing priorities.

Rehabilitation plans in our quarries

Quarry rehabilitation is a crucial process that aims to restore and enhance the natural environment after quarrying activities. Our process begins with an initial site assessment, followed by developing and implementing a biodiversity management plan, and concludes with reporting and performance measurement. As of 2023, 100% of our active quarries have a rehabilitation plan.

Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs)

We recognize the essential value of biodiversity and the importance of protecting biodiversity across our operations. To this end, our BAPs guide operational sites in incorporating biodiversity management into their standard processes.

Prerequisites

+ −
Compliance with legal and other requirements Preliminary desktop assessment Identify available resources (financial & others).

Stakeholders Mapping & Engagement

+ −
Identify and analyze. Engage with key stakeholders.

Partners

+ −
Engage ecological experts and partners. Efforts to engage with BirdLife local partner.

Development of the Biodiversity Baseline

+ −
Baseline survey of biodiversity and impact assessment, and consolidate and share resulting data.

Prioritization

+ −
Prioritize species, vegetation communities, and ecosystem services.

Action Plan Objectives & Targets

+ −
Prioritize species, vegetation communities, and ecosystem services.

Implementation

+ −
Appoint a biodiversity leader, align actions with internal procedures, and involve stakeholders and partners.

Monitoring & Evaluation

+ −
Appoint a biodiversity leader, align actions with internal procedures, and involve stakeholders and partners.

Reporting

+ −
Identify whom to report data and results, and how to do it. Starting with internal communications, and rthen eport data externally.

Biodiversity proximity study achievements

This study assesses the proximity of our operational sites to areas of high biodiversity value. By prioritizing sites with the greatest sensitivity, the assessment guides conservation efforts aimed at protecting, managing, and enhancing biodiversity. As of 2023, the 40 sites identified in our original 2010 proximity study located in areas of high biodiversity value have implemented a BAP. The 2021 updated proximity study identified 26 new priority sites with high biodiversity value, which marks a major progress.

Third-party certifications

Our strategic approach extends beyond our BAPs in high-priority quarries and seeks third-party certifications for our conservation efforts in sites not in high-value biodiversity areas. Our conservation activities bring our employees and communities together in wildlife enhancement initiatives and foster awareness of how industry and natural habitats can coexist.

Nature positive strategy

We continue to define nature-positive baselines for all our operations with plans to demonstrate relevant progress by 2030. We are working towards restoring ecosystems to help nature recover in all our quarries by 2050. As of December 2023, we already have 42 sites with a nature-positive baseline representing 15% of our total active quarries.

Our key actions to deliver nature-positive outcomes

+ −
- Mapping habitats on our landholdings, establishing a 2020 baseline. - Aligning nature targets with the company’s net-zero CO2 by 2050 commitment. - Implementing measures to reduce pollution with specific targets in place. - Evaluating our dependence on nature using a Natural Capital Accounting tool. - Incorporating guidance and actions in Biodiversity Plans to remove invasive species responsibly.

Reporting

+ −

Habitat restoration and species conservation

We are the only company in its sector with a fully dedicated nature conservation reserve not linked to one of its quarries or mining operations. For every hectare of global active operations, we keep seven hectares of conservation land in El Carmen Nature Reserve, one of the most biodiversity-rich areas in North America and one of the five greatest wilderness ecosystems in the world. Since 2016, El Carmen has received the Gold Conservation Certificate, the highest award granted by The Wildlife Habitat Council for conservation efforts.

Air quality

In 2023, 99% of our clinker production was subject to Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS), mainly for our major emissions, Particulate Matter (PM), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), and Sulfur Oxide (SOx), regardless of whether or not this was required by state or local regulations. It is not only a monitoring tool, but also a benchmark tool to share best practices and allows our operators to closely monitor major air emissions in kilns and analyze trends and action points.

Air emissions abatement and reduction targets

Major air emissions – PM, NOx, and SOx — are released as part of the cement manufacturing process. Minor air emissions—including volatile organic compounds, dioxins and furans and other heavy metals—are released in small quantities. Our target for 2030 is to reduce our PM emissions by 95%, NOx by 67%, and SOx by 47%.

Air quality strategy

We continually invest in high quality emissions abatement techniques and equipment.