SANTO DOMINGO- The Inter-American Cement Federation (FICEM) and the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (ADOCEM) presented the Government of the Dominican Republic with the certification that guarantees the neutrality of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during the development of the "Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week 2022", held here last July.
The measurement and verification of the event's carbon footprint, in which around 2,300 people participated, was confirmed by the auditing firm Deloitte, who assured that the event produced 1,617 tons of CO2 which were offset by processes implemented by 7 participating cement companies, such as the increase in solid waste valorization rates, the use of electricity from renewable sources and the reduction of clinker content in cement production.
According to the report issued by the ProyectaE company, which was in charge of measuring the carbon footprint and verified by Deloitte, the footprint generated by the attendees of the event, including air travel and local logistics, reached 1,617 tons of CO2e, these emissions being offset by carbon credits from green energy projects, registered with the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism and canceled for the event by the Santiago Climate Exchange (SCX) of Chile.
Félix González, president of ADOCEM, highlighted that the initiative was supported by seven cement companies in the region: Cementos Progreso from Guatemala, Pacasmayo and Unacem from Peru, Cementos Melón from Chile, and from the Dominican Republic, Domicem, Argos Dominicana and Cemex Dominicana; who, through specific projects for the valorization of waste for the co-processing and replacement of clinker in cement, in addition to the use of renewable energy, contributed an additional 60,000 tons of CO2e avoided, which is roughly equivalent to the emissions of all of Santo Domingo during the period in which the event took place, demonstrating the commitment of the cement industry to climate action in our region.
For his part, the Vice President of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism, Max Puig, thanked FICEM and ADOCEM for the support given to the Government's efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by guaranteeing, through the certification received, the carbon neutrality of Climate Week.
He also took the opportunity to congratulate the staff of the National Council for Climate Change on its recent anniversary and highlighted the role of that institution as an entity for articulation, mainstreaming and coordination of the policies of the Dominican State in the face of climate change.
All the details and processes carried out to achieve this certification were explained by Julissa Baez, executive director of ADOCEM, who in turn thanked the entire team that worked on the organization and coordination of Climate Week, according to a press release.
The president of ADOCEM emphasized that the use of cement in these new times is one of the most efficient solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change, considering that the environmental benefit is a value for all of our society, and that as an industry we can contribute to decarbonization and the commitments made by the country in reducing emissions
The cocktail party for the awarding of the ZERO carbon certification was attended by representatives of the various institutions, ADOCEM member companies, associates and friends.
The event
The 2022 Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week was organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its national focal points, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, and the National Council for Climate Change and the Clean Development Mechanism. The event marked a milestone in national climate action across all sectors, with the participation of the entire government, the private sector, and civil society at the highest and broadest levels of representation. It took place in the country last July.
