Environmental Policy Mexico Division

At GCC we are committed to contributing to the continuous improvement of the environment in the communities where we are present, and particularly to identifying, preventing and controlling the environmental aspects of our own processes. We are able to carry this out through our environmental management system and a strict compliance regarding the environmental regulations which apply to our processes.

It is important to mention that the cement and concrete manufacturing plants have made large green investments. Some examples of this are the creation of the powder collection systems, the fuel handling systems and the water recycling systems for the washing of the cement containers in the mixers at the concrete plants of Homero, Jarudo and Porvenir.

Likewise, other outstanding examples are the tire co-processing at the Samalayuca plant, the changes in lighting using more efficient technologies which consume less power, the promotion for using recyclable containers in inputs, the efficient use of energy in the offices (presence sensors) and of the latest drives in order to reduce electricity consumption in the main equipments of the processes.

Nowadays, each modernization project contemplates the corresponding green investment, incorporating state of the art technology available in the environmental market. Such is the case of the Proyecto Carbón, in the Samalayuca and Chihuahua Plants, which were implemented in 2002, as well as the Proyecto Agregados, the new collectors in the clinker coolers of the furnaces in the Juárez Plant and furnace 3 in Chihuahua, and the coal mill collectors in the Juárez Plant in 2006, among others.

Environmental efficiency actions:

• Substituting clinker for fillers in the final grounding process (less consumption of fossil fuels) complying with the cement quality Standard NMX-414-ONNCCE-2004
• Reduction of layers and weight in cement packing (paper saving)
• Concrete plants located near the works
• Use of additives in concrete to reduce water consumption
• Company owned arboretums and reforestation
• Development of dry mixes (reduction of waste material)

The ISO 14001, implemented in the cement plants is designed to establish an environmental management system. Its main objective is to continuously improve the environmental performance in the processes, products and/or services. From this perspective, the environmental management regarding standard ISO 14001, leads us to obtain an environmental performance that surpasses the requirements of the national and local regulations in force.

Awards given by the most important business units

GCC Group

• Award from SEMARNAT, regarding public inventory of greenhouse gases emissions (GGE), concerning our operations during 2004 and 2005.
Samalayuca Plant
• National Award for Energy Saving 1996
• Clean Industry Certificate from 1999 to the present year
• National Quality Award 1999 (sub criterion 7.1)
• ISO 14001 Certification since 2001
• Environmental Excellence Award 2005

Chihuahua plant