SKOKIE, Ill-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the U.S. cement industry for significant progress in continuing to reduce its environmental footprint by increasing energy efficiency, cutting air emissions and better managing the manufacturing process.

The annual EPA Sector Strategies Performance Report studies performance trends from the past 10 years based on data provided by sources including the Portland Cement Association (PCA), a trade organization of cement companies in the United States and Canada.

“The 2006 EPA report clearly demonstrates that the U.S. cement industry is committed to a sustainable future, and the Portland Cement Association is leading the charge,” said Andrew O’Hare, PCA vice president of regulatory affairs.

“We are taking the initiative to ensure that our processes are as efficient as possible by voluntarily tracking our environmental performance, and the 2006 report again illustrates the effectiveness of our efforts,” O’Hare said.

The EPA report noted cement industry progress, including:

• Cutting cement kiln dust disposed of in landfills by half (49 percent) since 1995.
  
• Reducing the rate of nitrogen oxide emissions by six percent between 1996 and 2002. The agency also noted that cement industry accounts for less than one percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
  
• Developing long-term climate change strategies. The agency cited four manufacturers, California Portland Cement Company, Holcim (US) Inc., St. Lawrence Cement Company, and Lafarge North America Inc., for their participation in the EPA’s Climate Leaders program.
  
• Implementing manufacturing process improvements, equipment upgrades and new policies for equipment procurement. The agency commended the California Portland Cement Company for its accomplishments in these areas as part of the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. Between 2003 and 2004, the Colton, Calif., plant reduced its energy consumption per unit of production by five percent, preventing nearly 30,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions.

Creating a Sustainable Future
The EPA also recognized as an example of environmental leadership by a trade association PCA’s Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World initiative. PCA launched this voluntary code of conduct in 2003 to reduce emissions and promote the superior environmental benefits of concrete.

To report on the progress of the Concrete Thinking initiative, PCA this month released its second annual Report on Sustainable Manufacturing, which lends further support to the EPA’s recognition of the cement industry as a leader in managing the manufacturing process for optimal efficiency. The report details the industry’s proactive approach to constantly improving sustainable practices, environmental performance, community involvement, workplace health and safety, and sustainable concrete construction.

Through Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World, PCA has set voluntary targets for the vast majority of U.S. cement plants to adopt environment management systems by the end of 2020. The industry is working towards the following goals:

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)—The U.S. cement industry has adopted a voluntary target of reducing CO2 emissions by 10 percent (from a 1990 baseline) per ton of cementitious product produced or sold by 2020.
  
• Cement Kiln Dust (CKD)—The U.S. cement industry has adopted a voluntary target of a 60 percent reduction (from a 1990 baseline) in the amount of CKD disposed per ton of clinker produced by 2020.
  
• Environmental Management Systems (EMS)—The U.S. cement industry has adopted a voluntary target of least 40 percent of U.S. cement plants to have implemented an auditable and verifiable EMS by the end of 2006, 75 percent by the end of 2010, and 90 percent by the end of 2020.
  
• The U.S. cement manufacturing industry endorses a voluntary goal to improve its energy efficiency—as measured by total Btu-equivalent per unit of cementitious product—by 20 percent from a 1990 baseline by 2020.

The 2006 Report on Sustainable Manufacturing can be viewed at http://www.cement.org/smreport06/index.htm

About PCA
Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.

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