Suez Cement participates in the Annual Sustainable Development Seminar of Italcementi Group
Confirms its long-term commitment to Sustainable Development
Cairo, June 26 2008. Suez Cement group, composed by Helwan Cement Company and Tourah Portland Cement Company, has been invited to actively participate in the Annual Sustainable Development Seminar organized by the Sustainable Development Department of Italcementi Group, one of the main shareholders of Suez Cement Company.
The Annual Sustainable Development Seminar opened at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Cairo, on Monday, 23 June 2008. During the three-day seminar, held under the theme of “Sustainable Development: a correct balance between creation of economic value, protection of the environment and social responsibility” technical experts on Environment and Safety coming from 22 different countries where Italcementi Group, the fifth world cement producer, operates gathered in Cairo to discuss and analyze the Group’s environmental and social performance focusing on the main issues related to the sustainability policies (climate protection, safety, environment and industrial hygiene) and share the best practices.
“Our commitment to sustainability is continuously growing as Italcementi Group strongly believes that companies play a key role in the development of society and common welfare. This seminar gave us the opportunity to share the progress of the “Agenda for Action”- the first formal pledge coupling the business operations of cement manufacturers with Sustainable Development Policies. - and present the targets achieved this year as well as the new targets that have been developed” stated Mr. Stefano Gardi, Director of the Sustainable Development Department of Italcementi Group.
Since September 24, 2007, Italcementi has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index of the best performers among the 2,500 international business organizations in the Dow Jones Global indices, assessed on economic, environmental and social criteria.
The Italcementi Group consolidated its sustainability activities in 2000 when it joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a group of 180 international groups who uphold common principles regarding sustainable growth. Over the last few years, Italcementi has been promoting a special Sustainable Development Awareness Program for Group companies, to provide training and raise sensitivity to sustainability issues
In this framework, Suez Cement, as Egyptian leader in building materials and part of Italcementi Group, is fully committed to operating ethically and responsibly and taking concrete actions in the implementation of its sustainable development strategy.
“In our sustainability strategy, environment protection must go hand in hand with the safeguard of our people and the care of the needs of local communities: employee health and safety has always been an issue of utmost importance within Suez Cement’s activities” stated Mr. Aly Hussein, Safety Manager of Suez Cement.
In 2006, Suez Cement launched “Zero Accidents” project which aims to reduce the number of occupational accidents by developing a substantive corporate safety culture and raising employee awareness and concern for safety conduct. Specifically, the “Zero Accidents” project contributed to reducing the frequency of workplace accidents by approximately 75% when compared to the previous years. In 2007, under the auspices of HE Aisha Abdel Hady, Minister of Manpower and
Migration, Suez Cement Company launched in cooperation with ILO Subregional Office for North Africa in Cairo a multimedia advocacy campaign “Salamtak Bel Donia” to promote a safety culture in the cement industry by raising awareness about the importance of safety and accident prevention principles and methods.
Still, Suez Cement has been continuously investing towards a better Egypt and a cleaner environment and has dedicated a substantial part of its industrial investments to implementing a comprehensive environmental policy.
“Minimizing the impact of our industrial activity is one of our objective and we intend to take concrete actions to put them into practice. In this sense, following the successful implementation of EPAP I (Environmental Pollution Abatement Project) that allowed to significantly reduce the dust emissions in Kattameya and Suez plants, in 2008, in cooperation with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and the World Bank, we have launched EPAP II to reduce the dust emissions in Tourah plant” highlighted Mr. Aymen Mohamed, Environment Manager of Suez Cement.
Furthermore, in 2007, Suez Cement, which is constantly engaged in being a reliable and responsible citizen, has promoted several development projects in the field of poverty alleviation, education and protection of the children’s rights with an annual contribution of approximately L.E. 10 million.
In particular, the Company is implementing, in cooperation with the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, a project intended to improve the living conditions of the local communities of Helwan and Tourah by providing access to quality basic infrastructure and services, especially in the field of education.
