On 16 – 17 September, Argos will host the eighth annual forum of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) in the historic city of Cartagena, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. The CSI is a global effort by 24 major cement producers with operations in more than 100 countries who believe there is a strong business case for the pursuit of sustainable development. Collectively these companies account for around 30% of the world’s cement production and range in size from very large multinationals to smaller local producers.
During the event, the presidents and some employees of the 20 largest cement companies in the Western world, with operations in more than 100 countries, will meet in order to discuss and propose initiatives around biodiversity, preservation and good practices associated with environmental conservation.
Cementos Argos, which joined the initiative in 2007, will host this global forum under the theme ‘Preserving the fundamentals of nature: Biodiversity and ecosystems’. The conference will cover ‘Biodiversity in the Context of Global Sustainability’, which will be led by Gerard Boss, director of Global Business and Biodiversity Program of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and moderated by Cecilia Rodríguez, former Minister of Environment.
“This is a huge opportunity for our industry and our country to define actions for biodiversity. We hope to have the presence of the regional environmental authorities, organisations that work for the environment and the government itself to define specifics,” said Jorge Mario Jaramillo Velásquez, Cementos Argos CEO.
In March, Argos joined the CEO Water Mandate, an initiative of the United Nations to promote sustainable practices in water use.
Adapted from press release by Katherine Guenioui