SUSTAINABILITY
are distributed to builders through a national network of builders’ merchant partners. In 2020 we launched Vertua, our first-ever net-zero CO2 concrete, which is now part of an extensive family of products that includes lower carbon cements, concrete, as well as aggregates, admixtures and mortar products. Cemex continues to pioneer in this field with a pipeline of new, updated and re-categorised products joining the Vertua range.
Vertua Lower Carbon includes our wide range of lower carbon cements and cementitious products, with bespoke designs enabling embodied carbon reductions versus standard cement (CEM I). The range can also provide additional benefits including increased durability, reduced heat of hydration and aesthetic finishes. The Vertua brand covers five sustainability attributes: lower carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency, saving water, incorporating recycled materials and optimising design. Any products that bear the Vertua brand must meet requirements for at least one of these sustainable attributes, with the benefits clearly and transparently presented for customers on a fact label.
Cemex is committed to achieving carbon neutrality through relentless innovation and industry-leading research and development. Our organisation is at the forefront of the circular economy in the construction value chain and is pioneering ways to increase the use of waste and residues as alternative raw materials and fuels in its operations with the use of new technologies.
Our efforts with Vertua over the last few years are paying off. Our Vertua products with sustainable attributes currently account for 56% of our total cement sales, whilst our range of bagged cements and cementitious products all achieve the Vertua criteria for lower embodied
carbon.Vertua’s strong market adoption is contributing to sustainable construction and positioning Cemex as a preferred partner dedicated to driving lasting change. Providing a new generation of products for tomorrow’s building industry has to start today – and making this happen is a really important part of the UK concrete and cement industry’s roadmap to net zero, to help customers meet their own sustainability targets.
Investing in Innovation To achieve carbon neutrality, it is essential to explore new technologies. Our portfolio of more than 220 projects, focused on research, innovation, and development of solutions, is designed to help us achieve our climate goals. Through Cemex Ventures, we continue to explore innovative solutions with investments in the construction value chain, as well as in companies that help us accelerate our decarbonisation path. Since its launch, Cemex Ventures has invested in 23 start-ups, developing a collaborative platform between entrepreneurs, universities, and private industry to address challenges in the construction environment and promote sustainable construction.
Conserving Our Links to Nature We continue to optimise water use and promote critically important biodiversity preservation programmes. Since 2009, Cemex has been working in partnership with the RSPB to protect priority species and habitats through our corporate biodiversity strategy. This special longstanding partnership benefits local communities and the ongoing success of Cemex’s operations, as well as improving site management through delivery of site-specific restoration advice.
Our quarries have the potential to serve as
catalysts for positive contributors to biodiversity and ecosystem preservation rather than just sites of extraction. We have pledged to establish biodiversity baselines for all active quarries by 2025, laying the groundwork for a nature-positive approach that prioritises flourishing ecosystems.
Our top of the range, high quality Rugby Premium Cement - now carries the Vertua Label to reflect its status as a lower carbon product, and comes in 30% recycled waterproof packaging, as part of Cemex’s commitment to sustainable development.
We are helping merchants and their customers make easy lower carbon product selections.
Taking the time to find the right product for the job that ticks all the boxes needs to be hassle-free and that’s why we have simplified the process of lower-carbon product selection with new labelling on all 3 of our most recognised and well-loved Rugby bagged cements.
To enable quick and easy product identification and selection, each cement product has a new bold coloured bag. Product applications are clearly labelled on the front of the bag to ensure the right cement for the job is clearly visible. Critically, the new durable, weatherproof Rugby Cement packaging, also includes prominent labelling to highlight the more sustainable product attributes that are now available in the Rugby Cement range, under the Vertua branded portfolio of products and solutions.
Our Vertua products are identifiable with a Vertua logo that highlights the main attribute of the product. A Vertua data label, found on the back of our cement bags, provides detailed information about the products’ environmental impact compared to traditional building materials. In short, customers can measure the sustainable impact of their project because all the attributes are verifiable, each product has a fact label that outlines the specific characteristics of its environmental impact and benefits. This can be reflected both in the product manufacturing process and in the useful life of the project.
Three of Rugby’s bagged cement products (Rugby Premium, Rugby High Strength, Rugby Sulfate) now sit within the Vertua portfolio due to their reduced embodied carbon, receiving a lower carbon attribute logo shown on the front of the bags. These cement products reduce CO2 emissions by over 25% compared to traditional Portland cements CEM I, achieved through using high-quality composite materials in the manufacture of cement and reducing emissions through the manufacturing process. n
June 2024 A supplement to builders merchants journal 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78
