Packaging a better future
Published by David Bizley,
Editor
World Cement,
Paul Fletcher, CEMEX, outlines how the ‘Future In Action’ ESG strategy is working hard to reduce packaging waste across the supply chain.
Meeting the target of becoming a net zero CO2 organisation by 2050 requires ambitious efforts. One of the main goals set out in CEMEX’s ‘Future in Action’ ESG strategy is to provide more sustainable products and services so that the built environment of the future is more sustainable and circular. The company’s aggressive climate action 2030 goals and detailed plant-by-plant roadmap determine increasing levels of scrutiny across all aspects of operations. Following the introduction of its industry-first net zero CO2 concrete and low-carbon cement products in 2020, CEMEX has an ongoing responsibility to push for large-scale industry improvements and works to collectively to reduce waste across the supply chain.
CEMEX has been making sustainable improvements to its packaging for over a decade. In 2012, it was the first cement company in the world to provide verified carbon labels for its cements produced in the UK. The company continues to invest heavily on a global scale, enabling it to make rigorous improvements in the important area of packaging and labelling. Through the continuous development of sustainable solutions, CEMEX has the opportunity to make a continuous long-term and direct impact on decarbonisation and waste reduction in the supply chain.
UK plastic packaging tax
As the plastic packaging tax came into force in the UK on 1 April 2022, amid the growing global focus on ESG, a firm directive is now fixed on stimulating the market in recycled plastics by providing a clear economic incentive for industries to use recycled plastics in the manufacture of plastic packaging. It is hoped this will create greater demand for recycled plastics and in turn encourage increased levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration.
Based on the principles of the circular economy, CEMEX’s pathway to waste reduction starts inside its operations. By 2030, the company’s main objective is to maximise the use of waste within its plants. Globally, during 2021, CEMEX managed close to 23 million t of waste and non-recyclable byproducts, which is over 57 times more waste than the company had been sending to landfill. Clearly the smallest changes in process design today can have a vast impact over time. CEMEX views it as a critical success factor to help drive, support, and embed waste reduction efforts across the supply chain, through a dedicated and joined-up approach to delivering sustainable products and services. The company has seen first-hand that the industry has a far greater impact when everyone is pulling in the same direction.
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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/special-reports/12122022/packaging-a-better-future/
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