Holcim sustains use of alternative fuel
LEADING cement maker Holcim Philippines Inc. plans to further increase its consumption of QUALIfiED AND PROPERLY segregated and preprocessed waste as alternative fuel and raw material to manage costs and help address the solid waste problem in the country.
Through its waste management unit Geocycle, Holcim Philippines utilized in 2019 more than 170,000 tons of waste materials from industries and communities as alternative fuel 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 cost. The initiative also helped the company’s partners to manage their wastes in an eco- friendly manner.
Holcim Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer John Stull said the company will continue to drive co-processing operations and consumption of alternative fuel 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 local governments near its plants in Luzon and Mindanao and expressed readiness to help more communities to participate. The company has also co-processed tens of thousand tons of nonrecyclable 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 Sen. Cynthia Villar, the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, to push further the company’s commitment to support sustainable waste management in the country through co-processing.
In co-processing, qualified waste materials after pre-processing are used as alternative fuel by feeding them 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 Philippines is listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange and is one of the leading building solution companies in the country.
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 Corp. for the divestment of its entire 85.7-percent shareholding in Holcim Philippines Inc. The process is still ongoing.