Introduction

Cement was invented in England in 1824 and is a key ingredient in concrete. Every year the average family uses one tonne of cement without even knowing it. No house, school, bridge or road would be built without it.

Concrete is the second most consumed substance in the world after water. It is made from aggregate, cement and water and can be mixed on building sites or supplied ready-mixed from a concrete plant. The UK’s first readymixed concrete plant was set up by a company called Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) in the 1930s. In 2005, CEMEX acquired RMC.

CEMEX’s customers range from multinational building companies to individuals building their own homes.

Today CEMEX is one of the world’s largest building materials companies. It is a leading supplier of aggregates (sand, gravel and crushed rock), cement and readymixed concrete. It also produces asphalt, concrete blocks and mortar and has a significant share of those markets. It operates in more than 50 countries and employs over 60,000 people. CEMEX UK has three cement plants, 90 quarries, 47 asphalt plants and nearly 300 readymix concrete plants.

In the UK, CEMEX generates £1 billion in annual sales. The expanding UK economy has seen an increase in the demand for roads and buildings. CEMEX plays an essential role in contributing to creating Britain’s infrastructure.

This case study examines how CEMEX locates and carries out its operations in a sustainable way.

Sustainable means being socially, economically and environmentally responsible to safeguard the needs of future generations.

This helps it fulfil one of its main aims - ‘to be the preferred and most efficient building materials company in the country’. It needs to ensure a good financial performance for the business. However, at the same time, it has a commitment to balancing the need for minerals against the effects of extraction and processing on both people and the environment.