The latest news on operations at the Lagan Cement Group were published in the December edition of our Environmental Newsletter.

The group is continuing to evolve and adapt amid tough trading conditions and is furthering its development towards sustainability on a number of key strategic points, including:

1. Reducing our fossil fuel usage 2. Improving energy efficiencies 3. Recovering resources 4. Sustaining employment 5. Community engagement and 6. Enhancing our Natural Environment

Click on the link below for further information on these initiatives and contact our Sustainability Manager, David Tobin on 044 93 79 200 for further information if required.

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Responsible Sourcing Standard

The internationally recognised BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing Standard for Construction Products has been achieved by Lagan Cement after an independent assessment of our raw materials, manufacturing process and management systems.

The BES 6001 standard is used to manage the impacts of the product from the sources of its raw materials, through its manufacture and delivery and ultimately its use, reuse or final disposal. By achieving the standard, Lagan Cement has demonstrated that we are committed to sustainable production and are using our buying power to influence our suppliers to become more responsible in their businesses also.

This will ultimately give Lagan Cement a greater competitive advantage and will enable us to expand into further markets where customers are demanding greater social accountability and environmental responsibility from products.

Excellence Through People Award

Following an extensive audit of our Employee Development and Training Programmes, Lagan Cement has achieved recognition through the Employment authority, FAS, with the Excellence Through People Award.

This is the National Human Resource Management Standard and reflects the company’s continuing efforts to enhance performance and realise strategies through the management and development of all our employees.

Lagan Cement recently launched a new company logo to reflect the culture of manufacturing only the highest quality Portland cement in our Kinnegad facility.

The new Logo 'Passionate About Quality' qualifies the company’s goal and the hard work ethic of Lagan Cement staff.

The Logo will now appear on all Lagan Cement official documents, and will be phased into the packaging on our cement bags also.

Lagan Cement continues to focus on innovative ways to introduce sustainable and responsible practices at the plant in Kinnegad. Following on from a string of accreditations and awards, recent Alternative Fuels projects have addressed 3 main areas as follows:

Liquid Recovered Fuels

The Storage and Dosing Facility for Liquid Recovered Fuels is nearing completion and is due to be commissioned during June 2011. The objective of the facility is to further reduce usage of imported fossil fuels such as coal and gas oil by utilising renewable greener energy liquid fuels sourced locally in Ireland.

SRF Kiln Unloading Bays

SRF is Solid Recovered Fuel derived mainly from renewable and non-recycleable shredded paper and plastic residues from the waste sector. Phase I facilitated storage and dosing of SRF to the Calciner part of the manufacturing process and it was completed in December 2008. Phase II of SRF handling facilities at Lagan Cement was completed in December 2010 with the construction of unloading bays for delivering SRF to the kiln.

Low Carbon Fuel

Similar to SRF, this is a shredded paper and plastic waste in use at Lagan Cement and derived from the healthcare sector, carefully prepared to enable fossil fuel replacement with a renewable, local and greener energy source.

Furthering our links with the community, on the 10th of February Lagan Cement engaged a group of almost 30 second level students as part of Business in the Community program. Initiated in 2008, this partnership between Lagan Cement and students at St. Fintinas aims to give students first hand experience of a business environment and the skills they will need in the future.

As part of the programme, students got to hear directly from the various types of employees working in the Lagan Cement facility and about the possible career opportunities available to them after school.

The programme consisted of a presentation, site tour, specialist speakers and the students learning interview techniques and tips on CV preparation from the Human Resources Manager at Lagan Cement, Anne Cosgrove.

Lagan Cement has submitted a planning application to use Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) and Tyre Chips as alternative fuel sources in the production of cement. The materials would be used alongside existing fuels including Coal and MBM at its cement manufacturing plant at Killaskillen in County Meath.

The use of both SRF and tyre chips as fuel sources will significantly reduce net CO2 emissions levels, contributing beneficially to the local environment and assisting Ireland in its reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, required under the Kyoto Protocol. Both fuels are extensively and safely used in cement plants across Europe and beyond to provide renewable alternatives to fossil fuels.

Lagan Cement will not be seeking any change or increase in its emissions limits to use these new fuels. The exceedingly high temperatures (upwards of 1400oc) and high residence times in a cement kiln, will ensure their complete destruction without producing ash or increasing emissions. Furthermore, as energy is recovered in the process, efficient use is made of an otherwise waste material.

As responsible neighbours we are distributing information packs to the surrounding area and opening an information centre so that local residents can see the benefits of these safe, clean and green fuels.

Download our newsletter or visit the Sustainable Development section to view our video.

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