Circular Economy is one of the pillars of our Sustainability Strategy. We promote an increasingly integrated approach so as to transform waste into new resources.
We are an innovative Group in the use of raw materials and alternative fuels derived from urban and industrial waste and by-products. Our circular approach pushes us more and more to find alternative solutions to give a new purpose or extend the life of a resource, extracting the maximum value also through partnerships with other industrial players and public administrations.
Reuse and recycling help reduce the ecological footprint by contributing to greater sustainability in the cement value chain.
Alternative fuels and raw materials
The thermal energy produced in our plants is generated by the combustion of fossil fuels (fuel oil, petcoke, coal and natural gas) and in part, by alternative fuels, such as waste oils, tires, rubber and plastics.
Our goal is to increase the use of alternative fuels to 55% and 8% of total thermal needs of grey and white cement production, respectively. The percentage of white cement is lower because market specifications impose strict chromatic consistency standards, which could be compromised by the use of alternative fuels.
In addition to the fuels necessary to carry out the process, cement production requires large quantities of raw materials of natural origin such as limestone, clay and gypsum, extracted from natural quarries that have different characteristics.
Since these are natural ecosystems with a precise natural balance, we calculate the impact of our activities to limit the effects on the areas concerned and pursue the objective of reducing the use of non-renewable raw materials, promoting the use of alternatives raw materials.
In fact, we target a clinker ratio reduction from 81% to 63% for grey cement and from 83% to 79% for white cement, by replacing clinker with alternative raw materials, such as fly ash and blast furnace slag.
Of the 16 million tons of materials used in 2021 to produce cement in our plants, almost 11% was recycled, including fly ash, blast furnace slag and other additives deriving from the extraction activities of the quarry inside CCB plant in Belgium.
In summary: our 2030 objectives
| Grey cement | White cement | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2030 | 2021 | 2030 | |
| Use of alternatives fuels | 30% of total | 55% of total | 3% of total | 8% of total |
| Clinker ratio | 81% | 63% | 83% | 79% |
Waste as a secondary raw material
Waste is a source not only of recyclable materials, but also of alternative fuels with a high calorific value. The use of alternative fuel derived from solid urban waste and industrial waste brings high environmental benefits, because it reduces the use of fossil fuels and offers a solution to storage and disposal problems.
We are present in the renewable energy sector, treatment and management of industrial and urban waste since 2009. In Turkey and England, in addition to the waste treatment plant, we manage a landfill that allows the production of renewable energy thanks to the transformation of food waste in biogas.
In 2021 Cementir waste treatment plants produced over 72,000 tons of waste fuel.
We use the most advanced biological technologies, minimizing landfilling and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, unlike what happens in waste-to-energy plants, the use of waste as an alternative fuel in cement factories does not produce residual waste as the ash resulting from combustion is recycled in the production of the cement itself.
In 2021, the Group’s plants collected and processed more than 217,000 tons of waste: 28% solid urban waste and 72% industrial waste.