Secil is on the right track: Ensures Otmar

Published by: Briefing

"More than a trend, sustainability is certainly the right path for SECIL," says Group CEO Otmar Hübscher. A route that started more than two decades ago and has undergone an acceleration in recent years, due to the decarbonisation objectives resulting from the Paris Agreement and the roadmaps for the decarbonisation of the global cement industry."

Environment, social and governance. It is on these three pillars, in conjunction with economic performance, that SECIL's sustainability policy is based. In addition, innovation and safety also play a relevant role in the cement company's sustainability policy.

Otmar Hübscher says that SECIL is committed to sustainability, seeking to make its economic performance compatible with respect for the environment and responsible citizenship. The response to global climate change involves reducing the carbon intensity of production, the circular economy, and biodiversity promotion. These are challenges that the company accepts and affirms it will overcome "with continued creation of economic value in a context of globalisation". "In the communities where we operate, we aim to exceed and integrate the expectations of our stakeholders. SECIL is part of international institutions and partnerships that also assume this same commitment, achievable through the objectives of sustainable development," he adds.

Sustainability is integrated into all levels of management and production processes of the company. Environmentally, the company sees decarbonisation of the production of cement, concrete and other construction materials as a priority, increasing the economic circularity of processes, improving energy efficiency and promoting biodiversity. On a social level, the focus is on attracting and retaining talent, creating a culture of safety and implementing a social responsibility practice. In governance, "SECIL is committed to pursuing good governance, reporting and transparency practices".

Sustainability is a strategic approach to ensure the company's competitiveness and, as such, positions the brand, but it is not a brand strategy, he ensures. It is - he notes - a transversal and long-term strategy of the company: "The sustainable positioning of SECIL brands is a consequence of its strategy".

The company has been investing in environmental protection for two decades, an effort that has been accelerated in recent years in light of the decarbonisation objectives resulting from the Paris Agreement and the roadmaps for the decarbonisation of the global, European and national cement industry.

Otmar Hübscher highlights the high rate of use of alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels, the increased energy efficiency of production facilities and, above all, "the major investment SECIL is making in the modernisation of the SECIL Outão Plant, through its CCL programme that will abolish the use of fossil fuels, reduce CO2 emissions by 20%, increase energy efficiency by 20% and allow the production of 30% of its own energy through the recovery of energy currently lost in the process".

In the last five years, he says, the company has reduced its gross CO2 emissions due to the use of alternative fuels, improved energy efficiency and the production of compound cements with lower clinker incorporation. "It is an effort to adapt to the limitations imposed by the European emission rights system, which will be accentuated in the coming years," he continues. "Another aspect in which SECIL acts in the global reduction of CO2 emissions throughout the value chain is through the priority given to maritime and rail transport, as opposed to road transport, which has a greater carbon footprint," he notes.

Regarding consumers' response to the brand's advances in terms of sustainability, he believes that "they are increasingly demanding, aware and careful in their choices, and are the first to demand sustainable solutions in construction". However, he maintains that, even with growing environmental awareness, they do not always have the information on the actual impacts of the various materials at their disposal. "Hence the importance of a prescriber in comparing all the construction solutions that exist in the market and ensuring that their life cycle is measured correctly," he says.

The CEO assures that concrete is the construction product "with the smallest environmental footprint over the entire life cycle, which is not evident to many consumers". Therefore, he believes it is up to SECIL to pass on this information, increasingly presenting sustainable, energy-efficient, resistant, durable construction solutions. "One way to reduce the environmental impact is to invest, for example, in the rehabilitation of existing buildings and invest in thermal insulation, one of SECIL's most direct and effective solutions to improve the energy efficiency of homes," he says.

In addition to "being fundamental to invest in the housing conditions of thousands of Portuguese", he comments that this investment is in line with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) approved by the European Union for Portugal and in the correct application of funds for the Energy Efficiency Programme in residential buildings (300 million euros).

But what is sustainability worth as a communication and marketing argument for the sector? For Otmar Hübscher, sustainability should be communicated as an attribute, just like quality. "It is important to 'be green', but we have to do so in conscience, with transparency and rigour, not for commercial reasons", he declares, stressing that the consumer is attentive and increasingly informed, so that "communicating without truth is unacceptable".

"Clarity and consistency of arguments are fundamental. All our communication is based on technical and scientific knowledge accumulated over the past 20 years, validated and certified by some of the most prestigious and credible entities in the sector," he ensures.

"At SECIL, we believe that all sustainability projects, from the largest to the smallest, should be communicated, sometimes inviting consumers to assume, like us, their environmental responsibility and to change their daily habits, achieving a more sustainable way of life.

For example, he points to the fact that the company has again "innovated in the cement market, making the new bags more environmentally friendly". The plastic has been removed from their interior, which - he says - will allow the reduction of 96,000 kg of plastic every year. "A small gesture capable of generating big changes, without neglecting the quality of the product, that which guarantees the confidence of our customers," he asserts. "More than a trend, sustainability is certainly the right path for SECIL," he concludes.