INDIAN CEMENT INDUSTRY CHARTS A ROADMAP FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABILITY AT ‘CONCREATECH 2018’
The first national Concreatech 2018 Summit organised by the country’s Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) and supported by Government of India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change got off to a rousing start with the Chief Guest, Mr Hardeep Singh Puri (Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs) sharing the big picture on how India’s cement industry has an important role in “Building the Nation” with a sustainable competitive edge. The conference saw all key policy makers, economists, industry leaders come together to share insights on the key factors and the cement industry’s role and commitment to the Sustainability Development Goals (2030).
While speaking at the event the Hon’ble’ Minister said “I congratulate CMA for this 56th AGM and would like to underscore that I recognize that cement plays a direct and concrete role in nation building. This will help India in meeting not only the SDG 2025 goals but also 2030 development goals.”
“India is today home to the world’s second largest cement industry in the world and accounts for over 8 per cent of the global installed capacity of 500 million tonnes from 250 large cement plants. Said Dr Shailendra Chouksey, President, CMA & Whole Time Director, JK Lakshmi Cement, “We are extremely proud to hold this event and we aim to create a matrix of public private partnerships that can shape the goals that are eco-friendly, inclusive and growth oriented for India. India is looked upon by the world as a key economy and we think it is our responsibility to be able to partner with the government agenda of creating future proof smart infrastructure. Today, we are the amongst the world’s greenest cement companies and are at par with Japan in energy consumption. We are major contributors to the exchequer of the government and are contributing significantly to the GDP growth of India.”
Speaking at the conference Mr. Mahendra Singhi, Vice president CMA and Managing Director Dalmia Cements said “What is equally important is that the country’s cement industry is creating a sustainable competitive advantage banking on new technologies, latest quality manufacturing processes, energy savings, low carbon footprint and a green future. 50 per cent of Indian cement industry’s capacity is less than ten years old. The best levels of specific energy consumption achieved by some of the cement manufacturers are comparable to the best in the world. Given the governments thrust on infrastructure development and the agendas such as Housing for all, Smart cities etc. the industry is bound to grow rapidly and through a focus on sustainability contribute significantly to the nation’s overall carbon reduction goals. There is and will be no better time for us to come together and commitment to creating a sustainable industry. We are the largest consumer of flyash and 100% slag produced by steel plants. We want to contribute more by creating viable investments and business models of waste management plans.”
“The industry envisages a CO2 carbon emission reduction of 45% through an aggregate investment of upto USD 50 billion by 2050”, he added.
CMA Secretary General Aparna Dutt Sharma said “Concreatech 2018 brought together the best of delegates and speakers from India and overseas and highlighted the shared concerns and achievements of all the stakeholders of the Indian cement industry with a special focus on sustainability. The critical insights and perspectives shared are now to be implemented and as a nodal body we are committed to creating a viable eco system of decision and policy makers. We will be hosting this biennially as it is important to map efforts and impact over time”
The unique session on “Sustain-Abilities for a Shared Future” highlighted that our commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030 demands a public private partnership of a new order. In particular the panelists spoke on How India aims to create a Sustainability Convergence Matrix based on trusteeship. Supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, India’s shared goals are eco-friendliness and inclusive growth.
Globally, Cement Industry is acknowledged as one of the most efficient utiliser of municipal waste and industrial waste. This is done by using waste as alternative fuel and raw materials (AFR). These could be municipal solid waste, agro waste, biomass, plastics, tyre chips, industrial waste from industries such as textile, chemicals, automobiles, expired consumer goods (food items, cosmetics, pharma products), the list is long. Given the size of India’s urban population, the everyday waste generated by Indian cities today is gigantic. Today, Indian cement industry is a willing partner to co-process waste. As a beginning the cement industry can use all the segregated plastic waste made available to it to the tune of 12 million tonnes of plastic waste in its cement kilns annually by 2025.
