In the Dominican Republic, CEMEX Dominicana, S.A., part of Mexico-headed global building materials company CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX), and Nestlé Dominicana S.A., part of Switzerland-head global foodstuffs major Nestlé S.A. announced the signing of a sustainability agreement in which both companies reaffirm their commitment to lead their respective industries in climate action.
According to a statement, the alliance will reduce the use of conventional fossil fuels, by co-processing under high environmental, health, and safety standards at CEMEX facilities, non-recyclable solid waste with a high calorific level that comes from industrial processes at Nestlé Dominicana.
This agreement with Nestlé allows us to continue promoting our Future in Action strategy by operating our cement plant with alternative fuels that substitute fossil fuels. By implementing circularity initiatives like this one, we continue to take strong steps towards a more sustainable future, as we are committed to becoming a net zero CO2 company, said José Antonio Cabrera, director of CEMEX in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti.
Pablo Wiechers, President of Nestlé for the Latin Caribbean Region, highlighted that the company globally has adopted sustainability as a transversal and integral axis of its business model, an action that creates shared value and promotes the achievement of substantial changes in the long term.
From our REgeneración platform, we are promoting a cultural transformation through sustained educational actions and leading by example. We demonstrate how our company embraces best practices and integrates technology to build a more sustainable future for all, Pablo Wiechers said.
Reduce environmental footprint
Through the agreement, both companies will mutually support each other in social and environmental responsibility initiatives that aim to raise awareness, educate and promote the companies’ good practices in the communities where they operate.
Under its Future in Action program, CEMEX unveiled its targets for 2030, including a 47 percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per tonne of cementitious material compared to 1990, and a commitment to increase clean energy consumption to 65 percent for 2030.
CEMEX is one of the first companies in the global cement industry to validate its 2030 decarbonization targets with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to align with its 1.5°C scenarios, which the company says is the most ambitious path for the industry.
This validation includes targets for direct scope 1 emissions and indirect Scope 2 and 3 emissions.
While Nestlé has managed to reduce 3 000 tonnes of CO2 per year with the start-up of its biomass boiler at the San Francisco de Macorís dairy factory and another 340 tons of additional CO2 with increased productivity on farms that provide fresh milk.
Likewise, the multinational has launched a specific plan to ensure that by 2025 more than 95 percent of its packaging is designed to be reusable or recyclable, as well as that 100 percent of the energy consumed comes from renewable sources, uses a third less virgin plastic, and that 20 percent of its ingredients come from regenerative agriculture methods.
By 2030, the company aims to have halved its net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, plant 200 million trees globally, and source 50 percent of its ingredients through sustainable agriculture methods.
And finally, by 2050, it aims to achieve net zero GHG emissions across its entire value chain.
