CEMEX USA plants win ISO certification

The nine plants are located in Berkeley, Concord, Oakland, Pleasanton, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Jose, Union City, and Santa Clara, California. Each received certification after Lloyd’s Register, an accredited third-party organisation, audited CEMEX USA’s West Region management system at corporate and site level, verifying that it conforms to the ISO 14001:2015 standard. In addition to the plants, CEMEX USA’s Livermore office also earned the certification.

To earn, ISO 14001:2015 Certification, the EMS at each location had to comply with all the elements required in the standard. The EMS has CEMEX Environmental Policy at its core and serves as an example for environmental stewardship, following a continuous improvement cycle that includes planning, operational controls, performance evaluation, and management review.

The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) developed ISO 14001:2015 as a standard of processes for organisations to use when setting up, improving, or maintaining their environmental management systems to follow established environmental policies and requirements. The guidelines are designed to help organisations improve efficiency, reduce waste, improve overall environmental impact, and manage environmental obligations.

The ISO 14001:2015 certification is the latest environmental honour for CEMEX’s Bay Area ready-mixed plants. In 2018, five of the newly certified plants earned responsible sourcing certification from the Concrete Sustainability Council, becoming the first facilities of any company in the US to achieve this designation.

Earlier this year, the Clinchfield, Georgia, cement plant became the first CEMEX operation in the US to achieve ISO 14001:2015 certification. The company is currently in the process of achieving the certification at several other of its operations in cement, ready-mixed concrete, and aggregates across the US.

“Sustainability is a core value at CEMEX, and we constantly strive for environmental excellence,” said Ignacio Madridejos, President of CEMEX USA. “Effective environmental management systems are critical in helping our operations meet and exceed our environmental and sustainability goals. By following well-established standards of ISO 14001:2015, our operations can continue to build on their successes while serving as inspiring examples for others to follow across the US.”

“We aim to be good neighbours in the communities where we live and operate, looking for ways we can improve in an effort to perform better than environmental standards,” said Eric Wittmann, Region President – West Region at CEMEX USA. “Our teams in the Bay Area are leaders in our industry, illustrating an unwavering commitment to performing better and operating responsibility, so we can build a better future with the environment in mind.”

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/01082019/cemex-usa-plants-win-iso-certification/