Colombian Chamber of Cement and Concrete PROCEMCO

PROCEMCO is the Colombian Chamber of Cement and Concrete. Concrete is the most used material in the world and Colombia is not the exception. Population in our country is growing and new opportunities are linked to construction of roads, houses, schools, hospitals, water and energy supply. Our role as an association of part of the construction chain, is to assure the supply of the material in the most sustainable way. 

Cement and Concrete industry has a climate ambition towards 2050 to achieve carbon neutrality in concrete, announced by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). Part of this achievement is related to the responsible sourcing scheme for concrete guided by the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC), another global organization. 

At the regional level, the Interamerican Federation of Cement FICEM and the Iberoamerican Federation of Ready Mixed Concrete FIHP are delivering regional tools to achieve local goals in sustainable production of cement and concrete.

PROCEMCO has developed a sustainability roadmap of the cement industry of Colombia to reduce in 21% the CO2 emissions in Colombia from 2010 to 2030, in a partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and the Ministry of Environment of Colombia. In addition, has a commitment to achieve the carbon neutrality in 2050 in line with the GCCA ambition annouced in COP26

PROCEMCO is the regional partner of both associations in Colombia, as well is a participant of the GCCA and CSC. In specific, PROCEMCO is the operator of the pilot project supported by the Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme of the OnePlanet network, that aims at empowering small and medium-sized concrete producers in Latin America to make concrete more sustainable. The project includes providing dedicated training sessions and practical tools to help suppliers, contractors, governments and stakeholders, and it also aims at implementing the CSC certification system for responsibly sourced concrete.

The implementation plan of the CSC in Latin America initially focuses on Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama. The countries were selected based on the assessment of
1. the market growth potential of sustainable construction and uptake of responsible sourcing requirements.
2. the presence on the ground of the key actors of the project plan.