the Asociación de Industrias de la República Dominicana (AIRD) and the Asociación Dominicana de Cemento Portland (ADOCEM), presented this Wednesday the study-diagnosis “Sustainability of the Cement Industry in the Dominican Republic”.
This study presents elements such as the governance of the industry, the quality standards applied, the strategic value that companies give to employment, social investment practices, care for the environment and compliance with environmental regulations.
The presentation of the diagnosis was organized by the AIRD as part of the activity “Industrial Actions that Transform”, where Félix González, president of ADOCEM, and Julissa Báez, executive director of the institution, spoke.
The research was presented by the consultant Fhabrisia de Jesús, who highlighted the value of the sustainability of the cement industry for the Dominican economy, while the panel was led by Circe Almánzar, executive vice-president of the AIRD.
González said that the research gathers indicators that are fundamental for the processes of continuous improvement.
The activity also included a panel of best practices by companies in the sector: Cementos Cibao, Cemex, Domicem, and Argos Dominicana, represented by José Sena, Juan Gabriel Rijo, Juna José Peña and Michael Vásquez, respectively. The panel was led by Circe Almánzar, executive vice-president of the AIRD.
In the Dominican Republic, cement companies are part of a long-lasting industry, with an average of 40 years in operation, and are important generators of jobs: +10,000 direct and indirect jobs in urban and rural communities in the three regions of the country where they operate.
The cement sector has six production companies and an investment of more than US$1.27 billion. Through ADOCEM, as the industry’s representative entity, it has consolidated its position with the public administration, regulatory entities, professional associations, and other agents of the national and international construction sector in the formulation of public policies.
Regarding external practices and social investment, 100% of the cement companies indicated that they promote community development in their areas of influence and that they do so directly, in alliance or through a third party and according to the needs identified in the communities.
Regarding the social contribution, the amounts and areas of investment were determined in the survey conducted for this study: For the year 2020 a social investment of RD$79,500,000.00 was available, however, it is considered that this amount should be much higher as it only corresponds to data shared by 50.02% of the cement companies, which affected the quantitative results of the sample.
A differentiating element of the industry is that 83.34% of the cement companies have business management systems that allow them to improve the image of the products and/or services they offer, favor their development and strengthen their position in the eyes of clients and consumers.
Regarding the environment, cement companies have invested more than two hundred and thirty-six million pesos (RD$236,000,000) in their plants for prevention and integrated control of their impacts. This commitment to investment in environmental protection goes beyond compliance, so much so that there are companies that have declared that they have an open environmental budget that allows them to make adjustments or improvements, whether or not they are planned.
