Cement and concrete association formed

A new global association for the cement and concrete industry has been set up with ten founding member companies.

An inaugural meeting to launch the Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) took place in London, and the chief executives of leading cement businesses across the world elected board members. Albert Manifold, CEO of CRH, was chosen as president.

Fernando A González, CEO of CEMEX, and Jianglin Cao, CEO of CNBM, were appointed vice presidents.

The association has been formed to focus on global construction challenges and promote leadership in the manufacture and use of cement and concrete.

The GCCA currently consists of ten leading companies from the industry covering much of the world, in Cemex, CNBM, CRH, Dangote, Eurocement, HeidelbergCement, LafargeHolcim, Taiheiyo, Ultratech and Votorantim.

All the board appointments are on an interim basis until formal elections can take place for a full board comprising 15 members. This will take place at the organisation’s first Annual General Meeting, to be held in London, UK, in November, 2018.

Manifold, said, “We are proud to launch this new global cement and concrete advocacy platform.

“Cement and concrete are integral elements of the built environment around the world, and the GCCA represents a strong sector-wide voice and responsible industrial leadership in the manufacture and use of these materials.”

He added that concrete was the world’s second most consumed product after water, and that as an industry, there was a responsibility to demonstrate how innovative and sustainable concrete solutions contributed positively to the built environment.

“As members of the GCCA we will work together to anticipate global construction challenges and society’s development needs into the future,” he said.

Sustainability Charter

The GCCA will introduce its executive team, present a detailed work programme and launch its Sustainability Charter at the AGM in November.

The meeting will be accompanied by a conference aimed at exploring ways to promote innovation in the construction value chain.

The GCCA has established its headquarters in London. Membership is open to cement and concrete manufacturers from all over the world that share the organisation’s values, and it said that partnerships would be developed with organisations within the construction sector and beyond that shared its vision.