building a better future - Cemex

about
this report
Reporting history and cycle
CEMEX began publishing annual environmental, health, and
safety reports in 1996, and then in 2003 published its first
Sustainable Development Report. The company has been
engaged in annual sustainability reporting since then and
published its most recent report in April 2010. This, the company’s
full 2011 Sustainable Development Report, is our ninth
such report that covers the broad range of our environmental,
social, and governance issues and performance.
We applied the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability
Reporting Guidelines to produce the report,
which meets an application level of A+ for the fourth
consecutive year.
Boundary and reporting period
This report covers our global cement, ready-mix concrete, and
aggregates operations, presenting our sustainability performance,
progress, achievements, and challenges for the 2011
calendar year, which is also the company’s fiscal year. We have
emphasized those issues identified as high-priority through
both our materiality analysis and our sustainable development
strategic planning process, as reflected in the seven priority
areas of our Sustainable Development Model. For more
information as well as updates throughout the year, please
visit the Sustainable Development section of our website.
Unless otherwise indicated, the information provided in
this report is for the company as a whole. We have included
information for the operations in which we have financial
and operative control. If a plant is sold, its information is no
longer included in our data or considered in our targets. If we
have restated certain data sets from previous years because of
improvements to our data-collection systems or changes to our
business, each case is clearly marked. All monetary amounts are
reported in US dollars. All references to “tons” are to metric tons.
The information for this report came from several sources,
including internal management systems and performance
databases and our Sustainable Development Report Survey, a
questionnaire sent to all countries where we have operations.
Data from this survey is then aggregated. This approach has
enabled us to report progress on our key performance indicators
for the company as a whole.
We aim to improve the transparency and completeness of
each report that we produce while streamlining our processes
and the way in which we provide information. We include a
statement from PricewaterhouseCoopers, which verified our
data on greenhouse gas emissions; atmospheric emissions;
alternative fossil and biomass fuels rates; environmental
incidents; and safety indicators for our cement, ready-mix, and
aggregates operations.
In addition, we engaged with our Sustainable Development
Reporting Advisory Panel, which provides feedback on our
reporting.
Data measurement techniques
We employ the following protocols and techniques for measuring
the key performance indicator (KPI) data that we report:
• CO2 Emissions. CEMEX reports absolute and specific CO2
emissions following the CSI Cement Protocol CO2 Accounting
and Reporting Standard for the Cement guidelines and
spreadsheet. As defined in the protocol, it considers direct
emissions excluding CO2 emissions from biomass fuels
and purchased electricity. All historical information from
baseline to current year is calculated under these procedures
to reflect appropriate trends and allow year-to-year
comparison analysis.
• Dust, NOx and SOx emissions. Absolute and specific figures
are calculated based on kilns emissions measurements
taken from Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (in
those sites where kilns are equipped with such technology)
or spot analysis. These methods fully comply with the
CSI Guidelines for Emissions Monitoring and Reporting. All
information is reported to CEMEX databases, processed,
calculated, and validated to provide a final group value.
• Energy. Fuel consumption indicators are reported to
internal CEMEX databases in which “conventional”, “alternative”,
and “biomass fuels” are classified according to
the CSI Cement CO2 protocol spreadsheet. Heat values are
obtained from on-site analysis (where applicable), values
provided by suppliers or standards from the CSI Guidelines
for the Selection and Use of Fuels and Raw Materials in
the Cement Manufacturing Process.
• Clinker factor and alternative fuels. All material consumption
is reported to internal CEMEX databases in which
“alternative materials” are defined following the standards
from the CSI Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Fuels
and Raw Materials in the Cement Manufacturing Process.
The “clinker/cement factor” is calculated using the procedures
from the CSI Cement CO2 protocol spreadsheet with
information obtained from the databases.
• Safety. An internal CEMEX safety database collects all
related safety information from each site and automatically
provides the appropriate information to calculate the
indicators. The database is configured using the WBCSD /
CSI definitions.
Deviation from protocols
We have adhered to the GRI Protocols where applicable and
feasible. As our data-collection systems are still in development,
however, there are instances in which we have not applied GRI
protocols. In such cases the data we have is the best manner in
which we can currently communicate our performance.
United Nations Global Compact Communication on Progress
This report constitutes our Communication on Progress toward
the commitments of the United Nations Global Compact
(UNGC). As a signatory to the Global Compact, we work to
align our company’s operations and strategies with its ten
principles. We are also committed to helping the world meet
the targets of the Kyoto Protocol and Millennium Development
Goals.
The GRI index is cross referenced to the UNGC principles; it
can be found on our website and is available for download at
www.cemex.com/sustainability
We welcome your feedback on our sustainability reporting
and performance. Please send your comments and suggestions
to sd@cemex.com, or write to us at:
CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V.
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Av. Ricardo Margáin Zozaya 325
San Pedro Garza García, NL
CP 66265 Mexico
Tel: +52 (81) 8888-8888
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