The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) hired Battelle to identify and recommend actions that the world's cement producers can take to become more sustainable. The WBCSD, headquartered in Geneva, is a global consortium of over 160 companies united by a shared commitment to sustainable development via the three pillars of economic growth, environmental protection and social equity.

Ten of the world's leading cement manufacturers, who operate facilities that produce almost one-third of the world's cement, provided the primary funding support for the study. This effort is believed to be the first comprehensive study of an industry sector not prompted by any crisis or visible failure, but rather by a desire to address business strategy and emerging market expectations for sustainable development.

Battelle studied operations involved in the cement production process ranging from limestone quarrying and fuel production to cement plant emissions and safety practices. The study involved detailed exploration of facilities, governance structures, regulatory issues and public interests. Battelle's work included a series of international stakeholder dialogues held in selected locations on four continents. Participants included government officials, environmental and social organizations, cement plant managers, residents who live near plants, and the media. All three areas of sustainable development-economic, environmental and social-were explored in depth. Battelle identified eight issue areas in which the industry needs to improve performance, and developed recommendations and actions for each. They include:

In addition, several recommendations were made in three cross-cutting areas-business integration of sustainable development, innovation, and cooperation between cement companies and other organizations.

Highlights of the report include:

"Our goal was to produce a blueprint to illustrate what the industry could do for the next 20 years, and to clearly identify the benefits of pursuing various elements of sustainable development," said Bruce Vigon, Research Leader in Battelle's Life Cycle Management group. "Sustainability in the cement industry is not going to happen with incremental changes. It involves a much more sweeping, comprehensive, long-term approach."

Now that the report has been released, the participating cement companies intend to address stakeholder concerns and Battelle's recommendations with their own action plans. That process is expected to take place over the next three months, resulting in an ongoing cement sustainability initiative under the initial leadership of the companies who began this work, but open to many others.

Sustainability studies generally include identifying and addressing environmental, social, economic and governance issues that occur during product development or manufacturing cycles. Battelle has performed sustainability studies recently for some of the world's largest companies including General Motors and Monsanto. "More and more, companies are realizing that the key elements of sustainability-social and environmental responsibility-can give them a competitive advantage," said Joseph Fiksel, Battelle Vice President for Life Cycle Management.

Battelle focuses on product development, technology development, technology commercialization and laboratory management. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle has annual revenues of $1 billion and more than 100 locations around the world.

For more information, contact Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (614) 424-5544 or at delaneyk@battelle.org or visit at www.battelle.org.