Initiative for Sustainability in the German Cement Industry

The Federal German Association of the Cement Industry (BDZ), the Socio-political Working Group of the German Cement Industry (SPADZ), the German Cement Works Association (VDZ), the Trade Union for Building-Agriculture-Environment (IG BAU) and the Trade Union for Mining-Chemical-Energy (IG BCE) all brought the Initiative for Sustainability in the German Cement Industry into being. The initiative is meant to anchor the overall branch attempt at creating sustainable development and to also support communication and relations between economic, social and ecologic development.

SUSTAIN CONSULT was commissioned by the abovementioned social partners with the coordination of the initiative. Perhaps most importantly, communicative forum events were held and the development of projects in fields of particular importance for the advancement of sustainable development were conducted. Some such fields of particular importance were, among others: the balance between the extraction of raw materials and environmental protection, the application of raw materials and combustible fuels, transport and logistics, as well as employee qualification.

The Initiative for Sustainability in the German Cement Industry was the first, branch-wide sustainability cooperative of the social partners of its kind and has meanwhile won favorable response, e.g.: SUSTAIN CONSULT was invited by the German Federal Government to present itself at the UN-World Summit in Johannesburg, 2002. According to the first interim balance sheets presented at a Stakeholders Meeting in November 2002 - which more than 100 branch, political, managerial and scientific experts/specialists attended - the extent of the collaborative social partnership for sustainable development was reconfirmed.

For further information: www.initiative-nachhaltigkeit.de

Contact Person:
Ralf Löckener
loeckener@sustain-consult.com
T: +49 (0)231 – 981 285 11