Canadian cement and concrete industry launches new portal rediscoverconcrete.ca

The Canadian cement and concrete industry has launched rediscoverconcrete.ca. The new web portal was created to provide comprehensive information on the sustainability of concrete – the world’s most commonly used material after water. The portal is designed as a platform to engage the public as well as legislators, policy decision-makers, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), architects, and engineers in the discussion on concrete’s sustainability, as well as to share information on the significant investments the industry has made and continues to make to become more efficient, cleaner and increasingly focused on product-based solutions to sustainability challenges.

“While concrete is literally the foundation of our communities, the extent of its contribution to sustainable development is widely underestimated,” said Michael McSweeney, president and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada. “It’s our mission to ensure Canadians have at their fingertips the information they need to appreciate both our vision for a more sustainable future as well as concrete’s immense contribution toward addressing society’s sustainability challenges, and this is what the portal is all about.”

The portal is the collective endeavor of the Canadian Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative members (CCJSI), a group that brings together representatives from different sectors of Canada’s cement and concrete industry to communicate and advance the industry’s significant contributions and progress toward meeting the challenges of sustainable construction. The portal’s broad range of content includes:

• The sustainability attributes and benefits of concrete
• Industry strategies and key initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint
• Overview of the cement and concrete manufacturing process
• Academic research on Life Cycle Assessment as well as on the use of alternative and renewable energy sources
• Examples of the cement and concrete industry’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and community involvement
• Links to speeches, industry news, upcoming industry events and several videos
• Links to industry associations websites, where more in-depth information on cement and concrete products may be found

Canadian Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative members and contributors can be found at www.rediscoverconcrete.ca/about.