Argos ONE

Cambio climático

En Argos somos conscientes de la evolución en la criticidad de los efectos del cambio climático en el tiempo, de las medidas impulsadas tanto a nivel global como local, por el sector público y privado para hacerle frente a este desafío de la humanidad, y del papel crucial que tiene nuestra compañía en el sector de los materiales de la construcción en tomar acciones innovadoras, contundentes y sostenidas que favorezcan tanto la mitigación como la adaptación al cambio climático. Asimismo, reconocemos que el cambio climático es una oportunidad para promover e impulsar la construcción sostenible y con ello contribuir a la creación de valor social en las geografías donde operamos.

 

Por eso, a través de nuestra Estrategia de Cambio Climático, nos hemos comprometido a actuar en toda nuestra cadena de valor, mitigando las emisiones directas e indirectas de CO2, generando las capacidades necesarias para la adaptación a sus impactos, e investigando y desarrollando iniciativas para avanzar en soluciones orientadas hacia la captura, almacenamiento y uso de carbono; buscando de esta manera contribuir a la competitividad y al crecimiento resiliente tanto de la compañía como de sus grupos de interés. 

 

Nos hemos adherido junto con las compañías más relevantes del sector de la producción de cemento y concreto del mundo, al Plan de Ambición Climática promovido por la Asociación Global de Cemento y Concreto (GCCA, por sus siglas en inglés) para ofrecer concreto carbono neutro a la sociedad al 2050. 

  • Para la compañía: Mitigar los riesgos relacionados con el cambio climático, generar las capacidades necesarias para la adaptación frente a los impactos de este fenómeno y potenciar las oportunidades derivadas de dicha problemática, a través de la gestión eficiente de nuestras operaciones y la investigación y desarrollo de mejores procesos, productos y soluciones, asegurando la competitividad y la permanencia de la compañía en el tiempo.

 

  • Para la sociedad: Contribuir a afrontar los desafíos derivados del cambio climático mediante el desarrollo de iniciativas de mitigación de emisiones de CO2, enfocadas en el uso de combustibles alternativos, la optimización del factor clínker cemento y la eficiencia energética, además de fortalecer los esfuerzos por generar productos y soluciones innovadoras con características de sostenibilidad que apalanquen las capacidades de adaptación al cambio climático y que contribuyan a una construcción sostenible.

Durante el 2021 construimos la Hoja de Ruta Técnica y Financiera para reducir las emisiones de CO2 y alcanzar la meta planteada al 2030, el resultado de esta hoja de ruta fue la sumatoria de esfuerzos de múltiples departamentos de la compañía que se alinearon con el OKR (Objetive Key Result, por sus siglas en inglés) establecido desde la presidencia y que hizo un llamado a la acción para: “Convertirnos en líderes en la industria en mitigación y adaptación de Cambio Climático en los próximos 3 años”.  

 

Igualmente, se estableció el mandato de hacer seguimiento constante al cumplimiento de las metas de reducción, hacer una revisión cíclica de la vigencia u optimización de los proyectos, y evaluar la inclusión de nuevos proyectos al interior del Comité de Sostenibilidad y Gobierno Corporativo de la Junta Directiva, la Célula de Cambio Climático y los comités de las tres Regionales, todo en pro del cumplimiento de los compromisos adquiridos con nuestros grupos de interés.  

 

A la fecha hemos aprobado las premisas y consideraciones técnicas que movilizan las palancas de reducción de emisiones de CO2 (1), los recursos de corto plazo dentro del CapEx de compañía, así como la reserva interna de los recursos para el mediano plazo (2) (que garanticen la destinación anual de recursos para el cumplimiento de la hoja de ruta).  

 

  1. Dentro de las iniciativas y proyectos que contiene la hoja de ruta técnica y financiera para la reducción de las emisiones de CO2 a 2030 se encuentran considerados:   
    • La continuidad operativa de instalaciones con bajo desempeño en términos de emisiones de CO2, debido a la naturaleza de su tecnología.  
    • La optimización del consumo calórico que depende en las adecuaciones operativas y de infraestructura que le permita de manera homogénea a las instalaciones de Argos ampliar y diversificar su mix de combustibles. 
    • La inclusión de tecnologías de enriquecimiento con oxígeno e inyección de hidrógeno. 
    • La optimización del factor clínker cemento bajo la premisa de diversificación y enriquecimiento del portafolio de la compañía con productos bajos en carbono. 
  2. Las inversiones aprobadas en esta hoja de ruta para reducir nuestras emisiones directas (alcance 1) ascienden a los 52.9 millones de dólares y serán distribuidas así:
    • El 44% del total será invertido en proyectos e iniciativas que optimicen el consumo calórico. 
    • El 40% en proyectos de coprocesamiento. 
    • El 9% en proyectos que viabilicen, dinamicen y mejoren el mix de combustibles para lograr la reducción de emisiones. 
    • El 7% será invertido en iniciativas para apalancar la reducción del factor clínker cemento.

La Estrategia de Cambio Climático guía nuestras acciones en mitigación, adaptación a los impactos del cambio climático e investigación y desarrollo de tecnologías para la captura, uso y almacenamiento de carbono (CCUS, por sus siglas en inglés) permitiéndonos minimizar los riesgos y potenciar las oportunidades asociadas a este fenómeno. Esta estrategia permea toda la cadena de valor y se construyó con escenarios de mitigación de emisiones de CO2, con las posibilidades de optimización de los procesos, y con los análisis de identificación y valoración de riesgos (físicos y de transición) y oportunidades de innovación y crecimiento sostenible que nos trae el sector de los materiales de la construcción.

 

El marco de acción de la estrategia de cambio climático considera: 

 

  • La Gestión de riesgos y oportunidades: La reducción de los riesgos y la potenciación de las oportunidades asociadas al cambio climático. 

 

  • La Innovación: La búsqueda de la innovación permanente. 

 

  • La Financiación verde: El uso de mecanismos de financiación que incluyan criterios de sostenibilidad.

 

  • El Gobierno: Conservando la transparencia en las decisiones y las buenas prácticas de gobierno corporativo.

Atmospheric emissions

We are committed to reducing our emissions through actions that achieve more efficient processes and the implementation of abatement measures, contributing to good air quality in the places where we operate.  Our cement-, concrete- and aggregate-production processes generate punctual and scattered particulate matter (PM) emissions, as well as emissions of sulfur oxides (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the clinkering furnaces of the cement plants.

  • For society:  To contribute to mitigating the impact on air quality in the areas where we operate, acting responsibly and promoting relationships of trust with our Stakeholders.

 

  • For the company:  To develop more efficient processes that allow us to reduce our atmospheric emissions and contribute to responsible production, complying with local regulations in the countries where we operate and – in some cases – going beyond compliance with said regulations, contributing to the profitability of the business and preparing to face future challenges.

The “Emissions” pillar of our Environmental Strategy focuses on: Working on the adequate measurement, control and reduction of SO2, NOx and particulate-material (PM) emissions generated by our production processes in the cement business and on the prevention and mitigation of our dispersed emissions of particulate material (dust), originated mainly by the activities of transportation, transfer, unloading and storage of materials in the cement, concrete and aggregate processes. The foregoing, through operational control, optimization and renewal of emission-control systems to achieve continuous improvement.

Industry positioning

We position ourselves as strategic allies for the development of the territories where we are present, directly and through the empowerment of our value chain.  We do it through the construction of housing and sustainable infrastructure that enables the closing of socioeconomic gaps, the generation of employment, the improvement of the quality of life and the reduction of the impacts generated.

  • For society:  To sustainably respond to the growing demand for housing and infrastructure of the world population with the aim of improving people's quality of life, interconnecting regions and developing innovative solutions. 

 

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    For the company:  To be strategic allies of the actors in our value chain in order to maintain the Company's leadership in the market, ensure its competitiveness over time and increase the generation of sustainable value.

We are committed to the role we have as a Company in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda goals, the consolidation of territorial development plans where we operate, and the economic reactivation of the countries affected by the pandemic. Therefore, we focus our efforts in the development of sustainable housing and infrastructure projects that contribute to closing socioeconomic gaps, generating employment under safe conditions, environmental protection, and investment in improving people’s health systems and quality of life. 

Our work unfolds in three large lines:

 

Cities for everyone:

 

With nearly 54% of the world  population living in urban areas, the pandemic made inequality of those who live in the cities of the world

manifest. Nearly 90% of the COVID-19 cases are concentrated in the urban

centers that have, among others, challenges associated with access to basic services and decent housing conditions. For this reason, we work together with our value chain to develop projects that benefit the lessfavored population, facilitate access to housing, and promote development in

the areas of influence.

 

Interconnected cities

 

The need to connect urban areas with rural areas to expand the coverage

of basic services, such as health, has been a priority of developing countries

since before the pandemic. Therefore, during 2020, we continued working on creating innovative solutions that allow us to be present in the large projects of the countries and territories where we are present.

 

Intelligent cities

 

In recent years, the acuteness of the effects of climate change became the

risk of greatest impact to the world. Therefore, in the global stage, a need

has grown to transition to a low-carbon economy, an opportunity that becomes more relevant amid post-pandemic recovery scenarios and the effort we are making as a Company to generate new business models that respond to environmental and social challenges. For this reason, our Climate-Change Strategy includes actions aimed at mitigating the impacts associated with our productive processes, adapting our operating model and innovating from the identification of optimization opportunities.

Supplier management

Supplier management is a fundamental pillar of our Supply Chain Strategy; it seeks to build and strengthen relationships with strategic allies who have the ability to contribute to the Company in terms of efficiency, productivity, customer service and innovation.  For this reason, we carefully select our suppliers, transfer knowledge to promote their development, promote good practices and recognize those who are an example of sustainable, innovative, safe and responsible management.

  • For society:  To develop our suppliers, promote transparent practices and responsible conduct, to improve the productivity and competitiveness of our society and support the construction of a better future.

 

  • For the company:  To seek to add value throughout the Company's supply chain, from the purchase of goods and services to the delivery of products to clients.  Through the mitigation of risks and potentiation of opportunities, the implementation of good contracting practices and service excellence, we create relationships of trust and turn suppliers into business allies.

Our management is divided into five stages:

  1. Identification: We determine the goods and services required for our operation and the category to which they belong, according to our Category Tree. This groups our suppliers into macro-categories which – in turn – are subdivided into two more specific levels.
  2. Pre-Selection: We validate the suitability of suppliers through due diligence and review aspects of sustainability and financial health to ensure long-term relationships.
  3. Negotiation: We select suppliers with high standards, considering technical, economic, sustainability and service aspects.
  4. Retention and evaluation: We carry out knowledge-transfer processes with those suppliers with growth potential.
    • We characterize our suppliers as critical suppliers or with potential risk in sustainability.
    • We measure the management of critical suppliers through performance evaluations in terms of quality, service, occupational health and safety, having constant feedback and identifying key factors for their development.
    • We apply the Sustainability Index to suppliers with potential sustainability risks, to identify challenges, opportunities, and to develop joint action plans in environmental, economic, social and Human-Rights matters.
    • We implement additional controls and development plans to suppliers belonging to categories where the greatest potential risks have been identified. This is how, for example, we develop road-safety strategies for our logistics suppliers; with mining suppliers, we carry out a more rigorous pre-selection process, and with contractors, we have special controls on occupational health and safety.
    • We have a Transparency Line for Stakeholders to report possible improper actions and to implement the pertinent corrective actions. 
  5. Recognition:  Every two years, through Growing Together (Creciendo Juntos), we recognize the suppliers that have shown outstanding performance in innovation, sustainability, health and safety and development and comprehensiveness.

 

Additionally, we have:

 

Contracting manual: transparent action framework that guides the negotiation and contracting of our suppliers to allow the process to be agile, make use of best practices and carry out adequate risk management.

 

Code of conduct for suppliers: in which we define the principles and behaviors that we expect from our allies in terms of respect for human rights, protection of workers, environmental management, business ethics and responsible business practices.

Ethics and compliance

We are convinced that ethics and integrity are fundamental and non-negotiable; that is why we live by these principles, integrating them into our operations, processes, and strategy, thus generating value responsibly for our business, our Stakeholders, and for society.  Through the Global Governance and Compliance Program, our ethics and business conduct system, we seek to promote that our actions are consistent with the pillars of corporate culture and integrity as the guiding principle of our business activity.

  • For society:  To promote transparent, competitive, and sustainable business environments that strengthen trust and ethics in business, generating positive impacts for the market and society.

 

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    For the company:  To promote that our actions are consistent with the pillars of culture and that integrity is the inspiring principle of all members of the Organization.  This is how we consolidate ourselves as a competitive, reliable company in the eyes of investors and other Stakeholders.

We have voluntarily adopted a self-regulatory framework that confirms our commitment to business ethics as a way to promote transparent practices that contribute to the development of competitive environments. This framework* incorporates mandatory principles of ethics and conduct:

 

 

For the proper implementation and application of these guidelines, the strengthening of the ethical culture, the prevention and control of incorrect actions, our Board of Directors approved the Global Governance and Compliance Program (GGCP, in Spanish). The program structure incorporates international best practices to evaluate compliance programs, such as ISO 37001, ISO 19600 and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) guidelines. The program has the following scope:

 

 

Likewise, it systematically groups together the activities carried out to promote integrity in the Company's actions, its employees, and members

of the value chain, which allow the updating and permanent strengthening

of the program. Operating Scheme:

 

Efficiency and productivity

We materialize our Corporate Strategy through actions aimed at the efficient use of resources, the improvement of our financial flexibility and the maximization of income generation and business profitability.  We focus on the application of efficient, safe production processes and circular economy models, on the diversification of energy management models and on the efficient management of the supply chain.

  • For society:  To provide solutions and products that meet the needs of our clients through the responsible, appropriate use of resources and the incorporation of raw materials and alternative energy sources.

 

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    For the company:  To guarantee business sustainability, optimize working capital and capital investments, reduce costs and the level of indebtedness, and mitigate risks regarding the availability of resources necessary for our operation and the emergence of new business realities, environmental requirements and new regulations.

Creamos valor construyendo relaciones sólidas que transforman el futuro de la sociedad

Creamos valor a través de nuestro compromiso con el desarrollo responsable y transparente de nuestras actividades.