BCA: Cement industry welcomes the appointment of new Minister for Climate Change

British Cement Assoc logo

Monday, 09, Jul 2007 12:00

The British Cement Association today welcomed the appointment of Phil Woolas MP as the new Minister for Climate Change.

Mike Gilbert, BCA Chief Executive said, ‘The cement industry looks forward to working with Mr Woolas in this crucial area of sustainable development. The UK cement industry has put sustainable development at the heart of operations. The industry has reduced its direct CO2 emissions by around 28% since 1990 - a saving of over 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 over this period.

The government’s Climate Change Bill is a critical piece of legislation for the cement industry, which supplies a vital, virtually irreplaceable, building material to the £80 billion a year construction industry. Climate change is going to affect us all and that is why the cement industry is working hard to further reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions from its own process as well as looking to how life cycle emissions from buildings can be minimized during their ‘in use phase’: a period which accounts for over 90% of a buildings life time emissions.’

For further information:

Damian Testa, Head of Public Affairs and External Communications at the British Cement Association. Telephone 01276 608708, mobile 07866 388250, email dtesta@bca.org.uk

Notes to editors:

The British Cement Association (BCA) is the trade and research organisation that represents the interests of the United Kingdom’s cement industry in its relations with Her Majesty’s Government, the European Union and relevant organisations in the United Kingdom. The members of the BCA (Tarmac Buxton Lime and Cement, Castle Cement, Cemex UK Operations and Lafarge Cement UK) are the major domestic manufacturers of Portland cement producing over 90% of the cement sold in the UK.

The cement industry has an annual turnover of £775 million and is a major supplier to the construction industry. It employs around 3,400 people directly with a further 15,000 jobs depending upon its operations.

Copies of the cement industry’s Working towards sustainability 2 report can be downloaded from www.cementindustry.co.uk . The report charts the significant progress made by the cement industry towards meeting its sustainable development goals.

Key achievements include:

• Reduction of direct CO2 emissions by 28% since 1990 giving CO2 savings of over 3.7 million tonnes

• Fossil fuel consumption cut by over 22% between 1998 and 2005

• One million tonnes of waste diverted from landfill in 2005, as over 14% of kiln fuels and almost 5% of virgin raw materials are replaced by waste-derived materials

• 27.5% improvement in specific energy consumption against a 1990 baseline