Leading cement maker Holcim Philippines, Inc. plans to further increase its consumption of qualified and properly segregated and pre-processed waste as alternative fuels and raw materials to manage costs and help ease the garbage challenge in the country.
Through its waste management unit Geocycle, Holcim Philippines used in 2019 more than 170,000 tons of waste materials from industries and communities as alternative fuels and raw materials with its co-processing technology. This allowed the company to avoid coal in cement production for 38 days leading to lower carbon emissions and fuel costs while helping its partners manage their wastes in an eco-friendly manner.
Holcim Philippines President and CEO John Stull said that the company will continue to drive co-processing operations and consumption of alternative fuels and raw materials to manage costs and have a more positive impact on the country.
“Aside from its business benefits, our Geocycle unit enables us to further contribute to Philippine development in a sustainable manner. Through our co-processing operations, we are able to lower our carbon footprint and help ease the waste management challenges of the country while producing an essential building material for development,” he said.
In 2019, Holcim Philippines agreed to pre-process as alternative fuel the segregated wastes of several local governments near its plants in Luzon and Mindanao and expressed readiness to help more communities on this matter. The company has also co-processed tens of thousand tons of non-recyclable plastics as it continues to provide waste management services to partners in various industries.
Holcim Philippines officials have also stepped up engagement with key government officials such as Senator Cynthia A. Villar, Chairperson of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, to express the company’s commitment to support sustainable waste management in the country through co-processing.
In co-processing, qualified waste materials after pre-processed as alternative fuel and fed into the high-temperature kilns along with other raw materials to produce cement. This process transform wastes to alternative fuel and converts them into energy for cement production. The technology is recognized globally and is approved by the Philippine authorities due to its proven advantages in environmental and safety performance.
Holcim’s efforts come as environment authorities sounded the alarm last year on garbage management in the country highlighting the need for concerted effort from various sectors as continued economic growth has led to an unprecedented generation of waste.
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Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner of builders in the country.
Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System) and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).
Holcim Philippines is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 80 countries with over 80,000 employees.
*LafargeHolcim has signed an agreement with San Miguel Corporation for the divestment of its entire 85.7 percent shareholding in Holcim Philippines Inc. The process is still ongoing. You may get more information on this development at this link:
https://www.lafargeholcim.com/lafargeholcim-divests-activities-philippines
