Interviewed
Diego A. Mesa
Manager of improvement and development
The Manager of improvement and development tells us more about the Argos Cementos Group's goals and measures to ensure a more sustainable production of cement and concrete
How important is sustainability for your company?
Sustainability is a fundamental part of the Cementos Argos strategy. It is one of the pillars that underpin the way we establish our goals, deliver our strategy, and create value. Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate management, we want to play our part in overcoming one of the biggest challenges of the future, fully aware that today’s construction industry is responsible for a significant amount of global CO2 emissions. It is, therefore, more than a commitment to net zero emissions. At the same time, the sustainability of our company represents a value for our shareholders. We use the guidelines of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which means that our sustainability results are measured according to well-defined parameters established by an international body. We are participating in the "2050 Net Zero Roadmap" initiative, the commitment of the entire concrete and cement industry, through the Global Cement and Concrete Institute (GCCI), to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the first step being to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% by 2030, and recently SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) validated our emissions reduction targets for 2030.
What concrete actions are you taking to achieve this goal?
Our climate actions are publicly disclosed and the levers to reduce our CO2 emissions are based on increasing the use of alternative fuels in our clinker kilns, reducing the clinker to cement ratio in our cements (scope 1), improving heat consumption in our kilns and transitioning from coal to fuels with less intensive CO2 emissions. In addition to these efforts, we are also looking constantly to reduce the CO2 footprint generated by our power consumption (scope 2). Since sustainability means much more to us, we have implemented several actions to increase the use of Alternative Raw Materials (ARMs) such as: production and use of calcined clays; water recirculation; ready-mix design optimization; quantification of our environmental impacts with life cycle assessment of our products (with EPDs and self-declarations); implementing more responsible production processes. We also have a very robust health and safety system and we maintain a good relationship based on mutual trust with the communities in the areas where we operate, making it possible to construct housing and infrastructure that dreams are made of to enable sustainable, thriving and inclusive communities.
How do you manage to combine the goal of obtaining more sustainable cement and concrete with the commitment to your customers to supply products with high-performance properties?
We invest heavily in the analysis and optimization of the entire production process, and strive to ensure that the best raw materials and technologies are used to improve our processes and products. That's why we need excellent partners, like Mapei, who can help us achieve this goal. For example, we are evaluating the development of mix design using MAPECUBE system solutions (super-plasticizing admixtures, strength enhancers, automation of the concrete production chain) that allow the amount of clinker in the cement to be reduced, while guaranteeing the performance properties of a mix design. We are already using Mapei solutions such as DYNAMON SR33 (super-plasticizer to obtain concrete mixes with low water/cement ratio, extremely high mechanical strength and long slump retention), as well as high-performance grinding aids such as MA.G.A. /C 095, MA.P.E/S 785, and MCH 295 to increase mill production and improve the cement quality. Alternative Raw Materials (ARM) and sustainably managing waste from the concrete production process in an effective way, we are also very interested in the solutions from the RE-CON Line.
On 13th June, 2023, Argos Cementos representatives visited the Mapei plant in Robbiano di Mediglia. From the left: Carlos Palacio (Mapei Colombia), Diego Mesa, Wilmar Alberto Echeverri, Lina María Cure (Cementos Argos), Miguel Perilla (Mapei Colombia).
With more than 80 years of history, Cementos Argos is the largest cement and concrete manufacturer in Colombia and one of the most important manufacturers in the United States, the Caribbean and Central America. This large multinational has an established presence in 16 countries, almost 7,000 employees, 11 cement plants, 197 ready-mix concrete plants, 9 grinding mills and 7 aggregates plants. Argos has a total installed capacity of 24 million tons of cement per year, 6.2 million tons of cement delivered and 7.5 million m3 of concrete shipped, and exports to 25 countries.
To find out more, visit: https://argos.co/en/
