In 1999, ten leading cement companies embarked on the Cement Sustainability Initiative, a member-sponsored program of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
The objective was to find new ways to meet the sustainability challenge of:
- reducing the industry’s ecological footprint
- increasing stakeholder engagement
- understanding the industry's social contributions.
The Battelle Memorial Institute, a US-based not-for-profit consulting firm, conducted an independent research on how the cement industry can meet the sustainability challenges. Battelle’s final report, Toward a Sustainable Cement Industry, was released in April 2002. The report listed 8 major topics that will shape the cement industry’s path toward a more sustainable future in the next 20 years:
- improving practices in quarrying, energy use and waste recovery and reuse (eco-efficiency)
- understanding and managing CO2 emissions
- reducing air emissions (dust, SO2 and NOX)
- improving land use and landscape management practices
- managing and improving employee health, safety, and satisfaction
- enhancing local communities dialogue
- participating in regional affairs
- creating more value for shareholders.