86 concrete

committed to responsibly-sourced concreteOn 12 April 2017, the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) awarded the first certificates at an event during the Building Holland trade fair in the netherlands. But what is the cSc, what are its targets and how can interested companies get certified?

n by Alexander Röder, Cemex, Spain

INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW JUNE 2017

Probably the one development that has shaped our industry more than

anything else over the last decade or so (and will most likely continue to do so), is how the concept of sustainability is becoming increasingly mainstream. In particular, there are a number of trends that impact the relation to our stakeholders in general, most importantly to our clients:

• Wider societal expectations with regard to the ethical, environmental and social performance of the supply chain are increasing. Within the construction industry, accountability, transparency and legitimacy of its operations have become common practice. • There is an increasing market interest in green procurement policies. Demand is growing for systems certifying materials that are responsibly sourced, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), High Quality Environmental (HQE).• Construction industry clients, including those involved in government funded projects, increasingly seek to prove their products have been responsibly sourced. • Contractors, architects and engineering in turn are asking their supply chains to probe questions about this crucial element of sustainability. The onus is on manufacturers to prove that their products and their constituent materials have been responsibly sourced. This all leads to higher expectations

with regards to the ethical, environmental and social performance of the supply chain of construction companies of all sizes.

However, how does a company prove that it and its supply chain respect a recognised set of standards of responsible sourcing?

Responsible sourcing To respond to this question and provide a credible endorsement for sustainable operations, a number of companies and associations under the leadership of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a sector project within the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), started the development of a new certification targeted to our sector. This project has now evolved into an independent entity under the CSC branding.

The CSC is committed to accelerating sustainability and responsible sourcing within the cement, aggregates and concrete sector. It sets a leading example for the general public and private sector by contributing to the growing public awareness of, and commitment to, sustainable development.

The certification system was developed

by industry experts. Representatives from non-governmental organisations participated in a stakeholder consultation process, led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network.

The CSC system provides an insight into the level at which a company is operating in an environmentally-, socially- and economically-responsible way. The CSC certification covers raw materials (including their source of provenance), the concrete manufacturing process as well as a range of social and environmental matters. The responsible-sourcing certification system helps to provide credible and independent evidence of sustainable sourcing practices to share with customers. Whilst empowering customers and manufacturers to make environmentally-supportive decisions, it allows public authorities to achieve environmental targets.

By creating a certification system for responsibly-sourced concrete, the CSC

First Concrete Sustainability Council certificates awarded in April 2017. The first companies that successfully finished the process were ready-mixed concrete firms Mebin and Cementbouw (both silver), precast companies VBI and BoschBeton (both bronze). ORCEM was recognised as the first supplier that passed the validation process

©Copyright Tradeship Publications Ltd 2017

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JUNE 2017 INTERNATIONAL CEMENT REVIEW

aims to improve transparency of the concrete sector and highlight the essential role of concrete in creating a sustainable construction industry by receiving recognition in ‘green’ procurement government policies and building rating systems. The CSC certification systematically integrates cement and aggregate plants but also allows for certification of concrete plants without the supply chain participating in the validation.

Business benefits The CSC certification system provides credible results that are already audited and verified by external experts. Concrete producers could gain substantial benefits as it:

• strengthens brand and reputation in the market, creates competitive advantages • allows companies to contribute to sustainable and certified construction projects• helps producers to improve continuously by providing insights into the sustainable performance of the whole supply chain and allows benchmarking within the industry• contributes to the sustainability goals of the producer’s clients• promotes confidence amongst local communities• documents and highlights the substantial efforts the sector has already made in terms of sustainability.These benefits are complemented by

an attractive cost structure, collaboration with trade associations as well as in-kind contributions from a number of CSC member companies, allowing them to effectively minimise overheads. In

addition, the long validity (three years) of the CSC certificates, combined with a lean but robust annual compliance check keep validation costs at very low levels.

How does the certification work?For those intending to become CSC certified, the first step is to identify those plants that require certification.

A quick self-assessment can then be carried out via the “CSC-toolbox” and freely accessible at https://concretesustainabilitycouncil.com/. Performing the so-called ‘Quick-scan’ enables a company to:

• gain insight into its performance in terms of responsible sourcing• obtain information about the evidence required• set out goals.Registering for a licence in the CSC

toolbox can be achieved by creating an account and buying certification rights in line with the intended certification scope.Once registered, evidence such as company policies, certificates or pictures can be uploaded. A certification body

(CB) needs to be selected among those provided in the toolbox to verify the evidence submitted. Verification is carried out by an independent auditor nominated by the CB. The CB is also in charge of issuing the certificate once all evidence has been verified and open questions have been answered.

The CSC is supported by regional system operators (RSOs) who manage the local system as well as provide training and a helpdesk at national level. To date (end-

April 2017) the Dutch ready-mix concrete association, VOBN, is the CSC’s RSO for The Netherlands. More are expected to follow soon. If a company’s operations are within the geographic coverage of an RSO, its corresponding regional framework (which is always based on the global framework) will automatically apply. If not, the global framework is the relevant one for the company.

Ways of taking partInterested companies can help make the CSC become a success story with multiple benefits for individual companies, the industry and society as a whole in a number of ways:

• Find out more about the responsible- sourcing certification and spread the information among their stakeholders (www.concretesustainabilitycouncil.org).• Certify their concrete plants or validate their cement and aggregates plants. They can try it for free using the QuickScan tool.• Become a member of the CSC and enjoy benefits such as reduced fees and influence on future development. • Reach out to their local trade association to put forward the idea of CSC membership or even becoming an RSO.• Engage in dialogue with decision-makers in green procurement frameworks and green building rating systems (such as LEED or DGNB) that the CSC certification deserves recognition.• Share with their thoughts on ways to improve with the CSC. n

For more information, contact Stefan van Uffelen, coordinator of CSC at: info@concretesustainability.org

The CSC certification covers raw materials, the concrete manufacturing process as well as a range of social and environmental issues

By creating a certification system for responsibly-sourced concrete, the CSC aims to improve transparency of the concrete sector

©Copyright Tradeship Publications Ltd 2017

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Building Bulletin is published monthly by:International Cement Review Old King’s Head Court, 15 High Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1AR, UK.Tel: +44 (0) 1306 740363/383 Fax: +44 (0) 1306 740660Email: info@CemNet.comwww.CemNet.comICR BUILDING BULLETIN n OCTOBER 2016

1

The monthly newsletter covering the building materials sector

OCTOBER 2016 n ISSUE 226

ContentsLime industry continues to innovateSteel decline hits sector hard 2Aggregates consumption to hit 62BntGrowing trend for recycled aggregates

2Cemex opens new UK quarry New sand and gravel quarry to serve Nottinghamshire 2New concrete standard from ASTM International standard to improve concrete production 2CECE congress predicts growthEuropean construction machinery sector to expand by 5-10% in 2016 3Zimbabwe tackles pavement crisisCalls for concrete to replace asphalt as road network crumbles 3Accenture launches new apps New digital services for OEMs 3Breedon Group scoops AIM award Recognised for Hope transaction 3Caterpillar: US$1bn Africa expansionReveals long-term investment 3CDE and Cemex clean up aggregatesFour new UK washing projects 4LafargeHolcim and XtreeE in 3D first3D printed concrete structure 4British Gypsum upgrades Selby site 4UK pledges GBP3bn to tackle housingNew initiative from Kier Living 4EQAR win for GB Energy Holding 4

Housing start jitters in UK, USA, Canada and JapanTHE NUMBER OF housing starts and new planning applications in central London dropped

significantly in the first six months of 2016, according to JLL, a specialist in commercial

real estate services and investment management. The closing quarter of 2015 saw 5260

starts across central London, falling to 1840 in 1Q16 and declining further to 1830 in 2Q16,

representing a slowdown of 65 per cent. The number of units under construction in the

area also contracted, falling from 34,300 in 1Q16 to 33,920 in 2Q16, the first quarterly drop

recorded in four years. “It is true to say that the number of starts was beginning to ease slightly towards the end

of 2015, but the new additional home Stamp Duty charge and the Brexit decision look set to

reverse all the good work of the past few years,” says Neil Chegwidden, director of research,

JLL. The performance is reportedly representative of the wider trend across Greater London.

US housing starts also fell more than expected in August as building activity declined after

two straight months of growth. According to the US Commerce Department, housing starts

fell 5.8 per cent in August, compared to the previous month, to an annual rate of 1.142m.

Building permits also dropped, falling 0.4 per cent to a seasonally-adjusted level of 1.139m.

Both came in below economist predictions. The August decrease was reportedly driven in

part by a sharp decline in the south, which was hit by heavy rain and flooding. There was some good news with permits for single-family homes increasing by 3.7 per cent

in August, its largest gain since June 2014. This put single-family permits up by 8.4 per cent in

the year so far, with single-family starts also recording a rise of 9.1 per cent in 8M16. Housing starts in Canada also declined in August as construction of multi-unit dwellings

slowed in most regions, led by lower activity in Alberta and Manitoba, according to Canada

Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). August housing starts were at a seasonally-

adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 182,703, down 6.5 per cent from July’s rate of 194,663. The

six-month moving average for housing starts in August was a SAAR of 195,640, a fall of 2.8 per

cent when compared to July’s rate of 201,379. Multiple urban starts slowed by 7.3 per cent to

111,378, falling in the Prairies, British Columbia, Ontario and Atlantic Canada but increasing

in Quebec. Single detached urban starts were recorded at 56,501 units while rural starts

were estimated at 14,824 units. Meanwhile, in Japan, although housing starts rose in August the growth was at a much

lower pace than expected. Following a spike in July of 8.9 per cent, analysts had predicted

a rise of 7.29 per cent in August, but the real figure came in at 2.5 per cent, according to

the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Construction orders received by 50 big

contractors, however, surged by 13.8 per cent in August, following a 10.9 per cent plunge in

the previous month.

Japan hikes infrastructure spend by extra US$32bnJAPAN’S PARLIAMENT HAS approved a further US$34bn to fund infrastructure spending

under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic stimulus package. This is in addition to the

US$61bn pledged in August this year to revive the Japanese economy by doubling the

number of tourists visiting the country. With the aim of reaching 40m visitors by the Tokyo

Summer Olympics in 2020, the spending will be concentrated on expanding ports to

accommodate large cruiseships and increase passenger numbers from 1.1m in 2015 to 5m by

2020, boosting airport capacity in the Tokyo area and regional economies, and strengthening

transportation hubs. The government will also provide loans to help bring forward the completion of a Nagoya-

Osaka magnetic levitation link by eight years, from its original completion date of 2045. The

Tokyo-Nagoya segment of the route is due to open in 2027 while the extension to Osaka is set

to start construction in 2035.

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