The CSI corporations assumed a commitment to encourage their employees, and other companies from the sector, to follow this lead. They can do this by, for example, developing capacitation programs and adopting codes of conduct and advanced governance practices.
Moreover, they also pledged to furnish stakeholders with all the information they need to follow and monitor this drive towards sustainability. The reporting and communication of the performance indicators, and the shared and specific targets set by CSI, allow internal and external stakeholders to access and appraise each company’s performance. This is more than just a rendering of accounts; it is a way of showing that the cement industry is making its contribution to the quest for a more sustainable society.
Commitments individually assumed by CSI companies
- Integrate sustainable development programs with the existing management, monitoring, and communication systems
- Publish a document on business ethics by 2006
- Establish a systematic stakeholder communications process in order to understand and meet their expectations
- Report on the advances in the stakeholder communications process
- Develop an auditable environmental management system for all plants
The results obtained by Votorantim Cimentos
System (SIS)
Environmental Performance Indicators
Since the beginning of 2006, all Votorantim Cimentos units have been assessed under the Environmental Performance Indicator (EPI), which covers all the main aspects related to the environment. The EPI is divided into two wings: the Operational Environmental Performance Indicator and the Strategic Environmental Performance Indicator.
The Operational Environmental Performance Indicator assesses items such as legal requisites, infractions, solid waste management, liquid effluent management, atmospheric emissions, environmental noise, and contamination prevention, among other aspects.
The items covered by the Strategic Environmental Performance Indicator include CO2 efficiency, water use efficiency, thermal substitution in the energy matrix by switching to industrial waste and biomass, the additive ratio in clinker, efficiency in the consumption of electricity, and thermal energy efficiency, among others.
As such, the Operational and Strategic Environmental Performance Indicators serve as the unit’s environmental “calling card.”
Sustainability Indicator System
The objective of the Sustainability Indicator System (SIS), created in 2002, is to provide support in the gathering of information for the Votorantim Group’s Social Balance. The SIS is an instrument that provides management tools, especially in the social and environmental areas.
A national benchmark in the consolidation of sustainability indicators, the SIS gathers information from all of the Group’s administrative and productive units. Its main focus is on conducting a quantitative follow-up on relations with different stakeholders and supplying this information to the Group’s leadership.
Accessible on-line, the database is handled by fifteen professionals who are responsible for standardizing the information from the Business Units and Votorantim Institute, as well as about 250 staff members from areas such as human resources, sustainability, and communications.
Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct plays an important role in Votorantim’s corporate governance process. Alongside the Group’s Vision, Values, and Aspirations, it is a pillar of the Votorantim Identity, a set of aspects that guides the company’s operations and is expressed through its relationships, attitudes, behaviors, products, processes, and results.
In addition to serving as a reference for its commercial partners, the Code of Conduct is mandatory for all members of staff. The core objective is to aggregate value, supporting Votorantim’s growth and pursuit of excellence. The corporation envisages periodical updates for the Code and encourages employees to consult it whenever they are in doubt as to ethical posture.