New Delhi: Indian cement makers will increase the number of women workers at the entry, management and board levels and step up hiring people with disabilities in order to become more inclusive companies.
The move is part of a set of goals leading cement companies have set out for themselves in a document released on Tuesday to help the country achieve sustainable development goals (SDG) such as removal of poverty and inequality.
The cement industry will also optimize the use of alternative raw materials such as construction demolition waste as well as fuels derived from wastes such as municipal solid waste, as per the ‘Indian cement sector SDG roadmap’ brought out by the cement industry and their partner, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a global body of over 200 firms.
“I am certain this will have far-reaching impact for the sector, the associated value chain, the nation and the world. I hope that other sectors shall follow the example set by the cement industry and work towards creating similar sector-specific roadmaps for their respective operations," a statement from WBCSD said quoting Niti Aayog chief executive officer Amitabh Kant.
The statement said that while governments have universally resolved to implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs), ultimately the transformative ambitions of these cannot be realized without strong private sector engagement.
According to an India SDG Index that Niti Aayog and the UN brought out last year, the country has reached only a little beyond the halfway mark in meeting the sustainable development goals adopted by India and 192 other nations in 2015.
Increasing the use of renewable energy in cement factories, stepping up energy efficiency, scaling up research and development on building products, and using inland waterways for transportation are among the steps cement companies have identified for reducing the industry’s impact on the environment, says the roadmap. Cement is a polluting industry.
