Two Tomorrows director addresses global cement industry leaders
Published on: Oct 13, 2010
As world cement producers examine their efforts to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions, Two Tomorrows group services director Jon Woodhead has been invited to address the 2010 global conference for the cement industry, CemEnergy.
Bringing together representatives from cement producers and associations with experts from the field of sustainability, material and energy-saving technologies, CemEnergy in Moscow on 26 and 27 October will be looking to draw the international spotlight onto the work the industry is undertaking to address its social and environmental responsibilities in the fast-developing economies where it is most active.
Examining how the adoption of leading-edge approaches to the reduction of CO2 can support social development within regional markets, Jon will be speaking alongside global industry experts including Dr Bruno Vanderborght, senior vice-president for climate change from Holcim; Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the International Energy Agency; and Dr Howard Klee, project director of the Cement Sustainability Initiative.
Jon comments: “Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the world. Driven by high demand, the cement industry produces an estimated five per cent of manmade CO2 emissions. Fast-developing economies such as Brazil, China and Russia find themselves with a dilemma – how to meet the demand for high-quality cement products which support social and economic development while limiting emissions that contribute to climate change?”
Jon goes on to explain that CO2 emissions arise not only from cement production, but also indirectly from the ways cement is used. Sustainable construction can reduce energy consumption and the CO2 emissions of existing and new buildings significantly. Sustainable construction aims at reducing the environmental impact of a building over its entire lifetime, while optimising its economic viability and promoting gains in human health and prosperity.
Leading companies in the cement industry are developing and promoting innovations and best practices which aim to reduce CO2 emissions in manufacture and in use while supporting social and economic development. Nowhere are these challenges more acute than in the mega-cities of the world where demand for low-cost housing far exceeds supply. The world population is set to increase to more than eight billion by 2030, by which time more than 70 per cent of the global population will be living in cities compared to 50 per cent today.
In his presentation to the conference, Jon will provide insights into examples of best practice where companies have been successful in developing products and promoting co-ordinated solutions that have resulted in lower CO2 emissions while supporting social and economic development.
A key learning from these examples is that the combination of an affordable housing deficit and pressures to reduce carbon emissions has created new markets where the lowest costs, the lowest level of skills required, the lowest level of waste, and the lowest energy use after construction are key success factors.
Jon concludes: “The enormity of the challenge of sustainable development – keeping our planet in a condition to support future generations while enabling improvements for the current population of the world – is becoming alarmingly clear. Our global ecosystem is already in a state of stress and overuse, and major inequalities exist between developed and developing countries, and for people within these societies. The actions of the cement and construction industry, if examples like these can become more widespread, can make significant contributions to the goals of sustainable development.”
