Environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) guidelines April ...

Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)

Environmental and social impactassessment (ESIA) guidelines

April 2005Land andcommunities

Version 1.0

Executive Summary 2

Acronyms used 4

Introduction 5• The Cement Sustainability Initiative • Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs)• These guidelines

Outline of ESIA reports 7• Introduction• Coverage and contents• Roles and responsibilities

Scoping phase / Greenfield site assessment 9• Introduction• Stakeholder mapping• Land use• Social structure and population• Public health

• Biodiversity and ecosystems• Cultural heritage and landscapes• Alternatives

Construction phase 15• Introduction• Environmental impacts• Social impacts • Health and safety

Operations phase 19• Introduction

• Social impacts• Occupational health and safety• Environmental impacts • Monitoring and reporting

Closure of a site 29• Introduction• Community involvement• Future site use• Rehabilitation• Employment• Social structure• Post closure monitoring

Cement Sustainability Initiative

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Mitigation 33• Introduction• Mitigation• Offset

Stakeholder involvement 36• Introduction• Why involve stakeholders?• Levels of communication with stakeholders• Principles of stakeholder involvement• Six steps to stakeholder involvement

Appendices 40• References• Glossary• Potential risks for cement projects• List of case studies• Membership of Task Force• The Cement Sustainability Initiative

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Executive summary

IntroductionThe World Business Council for SustainableDevelopment (WBCSD) Cement SustainabilityInitiative (CSI) has initiated a task force (one of six)to address the local impacts of the cement industryon land and communities. Impacts from quarriesand cement plants may be positive (e.g. creatingjobs and providing products and services) ornegative (e.g. disturbance to the landscape andbiodiversity, dust and noise). The most useful toolfor evaluating and managing the impacts of acement site is a thorough Environmental and SocialImpact Assessment (ESIA), undertaken withrigorous scientific analysis and stakeholderengagement.

This CSI Task Force has produced conciseguidelines for an ESIA process for the cementindustry to enable cement companies and localcommunities to identify and address some of thecritical issues during each phase of a cementfacility's development, operation and eventualclosure.

The ESIA processAn ESIA report will cover methods and key issues,the legislative framework, the consultation process,the social and environmental baseline,consideration of alternatives, prediction andevaluation of significant social and environmentalimpacts, mitigation or offset measures, andenvironmental and social management andmonitoring plans.

The development of an ESIA will involve a range ofparties with different roles and responsibilitiesincluding the developer of the facility, independentconsultants, the relevant authorities and

government departments, external reviewers,financial institutions, local residents andcommunities, NGOs and interest groups.

Scoping phase / greenfield site assessmentAt the scoping phase of a cement project, the ESIAwill need to cover: > Details of the nature and roles of relevant

stakeholders. > Existing and potential land uses and forms of

land tenure, appropriate governance systems toensure accountability and social justice, andchanges to the infrastructure (e.g. fortransport).

> Social analysis, including the size and socialstructure of the local population, their needs,wishes, skills and capacity, and an assessmentof the population's health status.

> Biodiversity resources and cultural heritage

assets, especially protected areas and species,and the geology, hydrology, soil quality, waterresources, climatology and meteorology of theregion.

> Alternative locations for plants and quarries.

Construction phaseDuring the construction phase, the ESIA will needto cover:> Traffic impacts on air, soil and water quality,

and health and safety.> Wastes from construction and overburden, soils

and other materials.> Transitory population increase, especially any

potential conflicts.> Temporary and permanent infrastructure

developments. > Noise, dust and vibration from construction.


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Operations phaseDuring the operations phase, the ESIA will need tocover:> The social impacts, focusing on community

well-being, to include public health and safety,the living environment, satisfaction of basicneeds (e.g. housing, sanitation, water supply),access to public services (e.g. health, education,training and recreation) and landscapeaesthetics.

> Occupational health and safety of workers andcontractors, giving special attention toaccidents and to the use and storage ofexplosives at quarries.

> Environmental impacts, especially from landuse and quarrying, the use of fossil fuels andraw materials, emissions, noise and vibration,solid wastes, liquid effluents and storm water,and traffic. The ESIA should also describe theenvironmental management system to beimplemented.

Closure of siteThe ESIA at this stage will need to cover:> Rehabilitation across the whole area affected by

the cement manufacturing footprint, withspecial emphasis on managing hazardous areasand materials.

> A Future Site Use Plan to provide sustainablebenefits to the local community in the longterm.

> Plans for alternative local social and economic

activities to replace those lost by closure.> End of life monitoring, particularly to measure

diffuse low level contamination in soil orground water (required by legislation in somelocations).

MitigationMitigation measures aim to avoid, minimize,remedy or compensate for the predicted adverseimpacts of a cement facility on site; offset hassimilar aims but remedial actions are focused offsite. Measures need to take into account potentialimpacts close to the site and those some distanceaway (e.g. impacts on water supply), and toensure the avoidance of sites that are formallyprotected (especially for biodiversity and culturalheritage).

Stakeholder involvementStakeholders for the cement industry are all theindividuals and groups who see themselves aspotentially affected by, or who can impact on,cement operations at the local, national orinternational scale (e.g. neighbors, communityorganizations, employees, trade unions,government agencies, the media, NGOs,contractors, suppliers and investors). An activeapproach to stakeholder involvement generallyleads to decision processes that proceed with lessdifficulty and greater benefits for everyone.

Stakeholder involvement commits the company toconsidering and (if appropriate) incorporatingfeedback from stakeholders, unlike a conventionalpublic relations campaign. Companies thereforeneed to be clear about their objectives for workingwith stakeholders, have a reasonable timescale forengagement, commit the necessary resources, andbe prepared to work with stakeholders to findmutually beneficial outcomes.

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BAT Best available technologies / techniques

CKD Cement kiln dust

CSI Cement Sustainability Initiative

EIA Environmental Impact Assessment

ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

ESMP Environmental and social management plan

EU European Union

HIA Health Impact Assessment

ICMM International Council on Mining an Minerals

IIED International Institute for Environment and Development

IPPC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

ISO International Standards Organization

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

NGOs Non-governmental organizations

SOPs Standard Operating Procedures

WBCSD World Business Council for Sustainable Development

WHO World Health Organization

WWF WorldWide Fund for Nature

Acronyms used


Introd

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Introduction

The Cement Sustainability InitiativeCement is one of the most widely used substanceson the planet. It is the 'glue' that binds togetherthe constituents of concrete and mortar in ourbuildings, roads and infrastructure. Each year,nearly three tons of concrete (containing 10-15%cement) are consumed for each man, woman andchild. Making cement is an energy and resourceintensive process with both positive and negativelocal and global impacts. Is it a sustainablebusiness? Can it be made more so? What are thecritical issues to address? What should the industrylook like in the future?

Recognizing that they needed clearer answers tothese questions, in 1999 several cement companiesbegan the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) as amember-sponsored program of the World BusinessCouncil for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)(see Appendix 6 for more details).

Six task forces have been established by the CSI todevelop good practice guidelines and proceduresto be used by all CSI companies at their operatingfacilities. These materials are also being madeavailable on a worldwide basis for other cementcompanies.

This document is the product of the CSI task forceexamining local impacts on land and communities.

Environmental and Social ImpactAssessments (ESIAs)Producing cement has significant positive andnegative impacts at a local level. On the positiveside, the cement industry may create employmentand business opportunities for local people,

particularly in remote locations in developingcountries where there are few other opportunitiesfor economic development. Negative impactsinclude disturbance to the landscape, dust andnoise, and disruption to local biodiversity fromquarrying limestone (the raw material for cement).

The way companies evaluate and manage thesocial and environmental aspects of siting,acquisition and closure of sites affects the quality oflife of the communities involved, and thereputation of the cement industry. Maintaining a'license to operate' as an industry is dependent onbeing able to earn and keep the support and trustof local people and this includes treatingcommunities with respect.

Impacts may be:> Direct impacts on natural and social systems as

a direct result of the project;> Indirect impacts on natural and social systems

that may be secondary or 'knock on' effects,including direct biophysical impacts that canlead to secondary social impacts and vice versa;

> Cumulative impacts on natural and socialsystems that accumulate over time and space.

The assessment of impacts on social andenvironmental systems requires a range of differentapproaches, methods and techniques. Directimpacts are relatively straightforward to identify,but the assessment of indirect and cumulativeimpacts is more complex and the determination ofmagnitude (size and extent of the impact) andsignificance (the importance for decision making) isdifficult. Social impacts are often the most difficultto predict, due to the lack of a clear cause-effectrelationship when working with human responsesto change, meaningful baselines, etc.

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The most useful tool for understanding andmanaging the impacts of a particular site is athorough Environmental and Social ImpactAssessment (ESIA). Through scientific analysis andstakeholder involvement, a good ESIA processhelps a company identify the critical social andenvironmental issues associated with a project, andensure that positive impacts are optimized andnegative impacts are minimized and mitigated. Aneffective ESIA process can improve localcommunity understanding of the whole project,increasing trust between the company and thelocal community, as well as increasing thesustainability of the project.

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It is most cost effective to carry out an ESIA prior tosite development, to identify and resolve issues atan early stage, because of the large amount ofcapital funding involved in developing or altering asite. Assessments can also be useful during

operations to identify areas for improvement, andbefore site closures to assess options forrehabilitation.

The diagram above, of a typical ESIA process,shows the main stages of the process. It alsoillustrates the iterative nature of an ESIA throughthe numerous feedback loops to previous steps inthe process. There is also clearly a significantpotential overlap between the activities of the ESIAprocess and that of a typical EnvironmentalManagement System (e.g. ISO 14000).

'Review' activities are not shown in this diagram.Review by environmental authorities and othersmay take place at different stages of the ESIAprocess (e.g. during screening), or followingcertain pre-determined deliverables (e.g. aftersubmission of the ESIA). The diagram also does notshow the potential for a 'no go' option as a resultof the screening process, although that is apossible outcome of screening. An ESIA processmay also result in a 'no go' decision.

Screening

Considerationof alternatives

Establishing the baseline

Scoping

Prediction andevaluation of

impacts

Environmentalimpacts

Socialimpacts

Mitigation

Monitoring

Environmental Management System

Screening

Considerationof alternatives

Establishing the baseline

Scoping

Prediction andevaluation of

impacts

Environmentalimpacts

Socialimpacts

Mitigation

Monitoring

These guidelinesThe CSI has examined all the major issues andoffers in this document a set of guidelines forcement companies and local communitiesconsidering an ESIA. These guidelines build onexisting excellent work in this field by others (seeAppendix 1 for examples), in which many of theconcepts offered here for the cement sector arediscussed at greater length and with broaderapplication.

These guidelines are not intended to becomprehensive or prescriptive. Localcircumstances vary greatly depending ongeography, culture, economic development, etc,so an exhaustive list of hard and fast rules is notappropriate.

These guidelines therefore provide a basicframework for taking environmental and socialconcerns into account throughout the life of anyquarry and cement plant from initial planning toconstruction, through operations to eventualclosure (and restoration and re-use of the land).The guidelines identify the critical issues toconsider in each phase, as well as proposals foraddressing most of them.

Cement Sustainability Initiative 7

Outline of ESIA Reports

IntroductionThe ESIA process is not simply a matter ofpreparing a report, and obtaining approval (wherelocal regulations require). The use of the ESIAframework can help ensure that the environmentaland social concerns of local communities and otherstakeholders are taken into account throughout thelife of cement plants and quarries. It can providelinkages to other forms of social and environmentalmanagement, and a basis for communications withall stakeholders.

However, an ESIA report will be required, and anoutline of coverage and contents and potentialparticipants in the preparation of such reports aredescribed below.

Coverage and contentsThe ESIA should be tailored to the specific projectand to the legal requirements, environmental andsocial conditions where it is situated. The coverageof the ESIA report itself will therefore depend onlocal circumstances.

A Systems Map may be a useful way of describingand agreeing the extent and boundaries of theproposed project, and its wider context, so that thesustainability impacts can be fully assessed.Identifying relevant stakeholders would be part ofthis mapping exercise, and those stakeholders canthen be involved in the mapping process, whichcan help everyone understand the complex flow ofimpacts and feedback loops more easily.

The following outline for a typical ESIA report isoffered on the basis that identified issues will notnecessarily have the same degree of relevance for

all cement projects, given the importance of localcontext.

> Executive summary / non-technical summary.

The summary should be written in non-technical language and be accessible andunderstandable to the members of theinterested and/or affected community.

> Methods and key issues. A methods and keyissues statement provides the opportunity toclarify some basic information about the ESIAincluding what difficulties have beenencountered and the limitations of theassessment.

> Legislative framework. This section shouldcover the relevant legislation and requirementsof the country and region where the project issituated, and include a statement that commitsthe project to compliance.

> Consultation process. The steps in theconsultation process and the views expressedshould be summarized in the report. If clearrecommendations resulting from theconsultation process were not followed, thereasons for those decisions should also beprovided.

> Description of the existing social and

environmental baseline. This section shoulddescribe information collected on the past,present and future context for the project inorder to provide a picture of existing trendsresulting from natural events or humanactivities, the current state of the environment,the current socio-economic conditions in theregion, and any potential future changes whichmay occur as a result of planned developments.

> Consideration of alternatives. This sectionshould present the results of an organized

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process that has ensured that reasonablealternatives, of different types, have beenconsidered. Alternatives may include demand,activity, location, process, input and mitigationalternatives.

> Description of the proposed development. Thissection should cover the objectives and scopeof the project, an overview of the project andits location, a detailed description and layout,the site preparation and construction, and thenature of the processes, resources andtechnologies to be used.

> Prediction and evaluation of significant social

and environmental impacts. This part shouldemphasize the most important impacts, who orwhat these will affect, and how significant theeffects will be.

> Mitigation / offset measures. This sectionshould provide an assessment of the hierarchyof impacts and whether mitigation is possible,the likely success of the mitigation measuresproposed to alleviate the impacts, and residualand/or cumulative effects. Any offset schemesproposed to reduce negative impacts shouldalso be included.

> Environmental and social management and

monitoring plans. This section needs to providea framework for managing and monitoringimpacts for the life of the project and whether itis necessary to introduce corrective measures. Itshould be designed to ensure that thecommitments made in the ESIA, and in anysubsequent assessment reports, together withany license approval or similar conditions, areimplemented.

> Bibliography. A list of all references citedshould be included in the report.

Roles and responsibilitiesOne of the advantages of undertaking an ESIAstudy is the collaboration that is created betweenvarious parties during the process. However, it isessential that the roles, responsibilities, rights andinvolvement of all parties in the process are clearlydefined and agreed before the processcommences.

The parties involved in any individual ESIA willvary, depending on where the project is located,what is required by legislation, who is involved inthe financing of the project and the public profile

of the project. Country and area specificenvironmental assessment (EA) requirementsusually contain a section on the stakeholdersrelevant to their specific processes, and often withclear descriptions of their individual roles andresponsibilities.

Stakeholders in the ESIA process may include, but

are not limited to, the following groups:

> The project proponent and/or developer> Teams of specialists (possibly including

independent consultants)

> Relevant local public authorities, government

departments and government agencies

> External reviewers

> Financial institutions

> Local residents and communities

> NGOs and community interest groups> Other institutional bodies, such as regional

development forums and resourcemanagement organizations.


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IntroductionAn environmental impact assessment (EIA) isalways recommended for the construction of anew cement plant with related quarries. Ascreening stage, to decide whether or not an ESIAis needed for a particular project, may therefore bemuch less significant than on some other projects.The first major assessment of the environmentaland social impacts is therefore likely to be duringand after the scoping phase (see EuropeanCommission guidance on screening and scoping;reference in Appendix 1).

Scoping may address:> the baseline studies that are required to

characterize the existing environment;> the types of alternatives to be considered;> consultations with relevant stakeholders (see

“Stakeholder mapping”).

The significance of both positive and negativeimpacts will need to be assessed by weightingthem against local conditions. Standards ofcomparison will need to be defined for every issueto be analyzed, as well as any pre-established limitsto acceptable change (defined by legislation, byrecognized experts, stakeholders etc) which theproposed development should not exceed, and thetrend of change in the area if no developmenttakes place.

The complete analysis of all the necessary issues inthe scoping stage may take more than a year,bearing in mind the necessary interactions withothers and consideration of alternatives.

Scoping phase Greenfield site assessment

Stakeholder mappingStakeholders are people or institutions that seethemselves as potentially affected by, or that mayaffect, an organization's activity. Early stakeholdermapping, in the scoping phase, is a useful tool toallow the company to gain an appreciation of whois interested and may be involved, how they maybe involved, and the nature of the inter-relationships between stakeholder groups. Socialanalysis techniques and methods can be used inidentifying stakeholders, their needs, aspirationsand concerns regarding the project.

The type of data and information required toconduct a stakeholder analysis include householdlevel socioeconomic data, information on ethnicmix and interactions, cultural traditions, genderprofile in socioeconomic activities, existingmechanisms for decision-making, and pastexperiences with similar developments.

In identifying stakeholders, it is advisable forcompanies to be as open and inclusive as possible,involving all those that want to take part. However,stakeholder involvement is a dynamic process:some stakeholders may disengage over time, andothers may join at a later stage of the projectdevelopment. Therefore, stakeholder mapping isnot a finite process, and is likely to continuebeyond the scoping phase and throughout the lifeof the project. For more on stakeholderinvolvement, see chapter “Closure of site” pp 29 -32, of these guidelines.

Land useCement facilities can cover areas of land rangingfrom hundreds to thousands of hectares, and are

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usually located near existing infrastructures for thetransport of products, and near deposits of rawmaterials. The most important issues regardingland use are:

> Land use planning. Many of the areas in whichthe cement industry seeks to operate haverelatively intact undisturbed ecosystems. Theremay also be demands for alternative land usesfrom local people. An integrated approach toland use management is needed thatrecognizes these potentially competinginterests and negotiates the most appropriateaction, bearing in mind the ecological andsocial limits of the area.

> Land tenure is often a mix of formal legalcomponents and informally accepted practices.Traditional tenure systems, especially ofcommunal lands, may cause difficulties toindustrial development or quarry operations(e.g. where land titles are barely defined andpeople obtain land rights simply by occupyingand using common land, there may be conflictsbetween what is strictly legal in terms of tenurerights and what is locally consideredlegitimate).

> Compensation. In some countries, the poorestpeople rely on subsistence agriculture forconsumption and exchange. Simply providingcash compensation for the purchase of the landnecessary to the cement industry may increaselocal dependence on the cash economy andimported food and become a serious threat tothe well-being or even the survival of localpeople. In addition, compensating individualsfor the loss of individual property rights maynot compensate the community for collectivelyheld interests (e.g. damage or alteration of thenatural environment, social and culturaldisruption, etc). It is therefore essential toconsider the provision of adequate land,infrastructure and other additionalcompensation measures.

> Governance. An appropriate governancestructure is needed to ensure that land usedecisions do not harm the inhabitants of theland and the environment, while still enablingappropriate development to take place. Agenda21 states that: "governments at the appropriatelevel, with the support of regional andinternational organizations, should ensure thatpolicies and policy instruments support the

best possible land use and sustainablemanagement of land resources. They should(inter alia) develop policies that encouragesustainable land use and management of landresources and take land resource base,demographic issues and the interest of localpopulations into account".

> Infrastructure. The infrastructure will be heavilyaffected by the transport of large quantities ofraw materials for cement production, cementproducts and energy supply (by road, railway,through channels and harbors). Effectiveassessment will need to be made of all theexisting infrastructure and present uses,planned improvements (if any), and theimprovement / modification required by theproposed project.

Social structure and populationThe ESIA will require initial data collection at thescoping stage on the size and social structure ofthe local population, and assessment of the groupsexpected to benefit directly or indirectly from theproject: their needs, their demands, their ability todeal with change, the existing human capital in theform of education and skills and the potential forimproving that, gender issues, and vulnerablegroups, and the need for measures of mitigation,offset or compensation.

The most crucial stage of a social analysis is duringthe project feasibility study when all relevant socialdimensions of the proposed project are examinedthoroughly and incorporated into project design. Amain feature of the social analysis will be therecognition that poverty reduction is theoverarching goal for some countries and that thereis a close interrelationship between poverty and thestate of the environment. For example, theestablishment of large industrial plants, such ascement factories and the inception of miningoperations, may introduce significant changes inthe use of land, water and other natural resourcesand may have adverse social and economicimpacts on local people currently using thoseresources.

A proposed cement facility may requiredisplacement of people. If displacement isunavoidable, a detailed resettlement plan withspecified time-limited actions is required. Monetarycompensation alone for land and displacement


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may not be adequate, and resettlement plansshould be built around a development strategywhich includes various compensation measures,and be designed to generally improve (or at leastrestore) the social and economic base of those tobe relocated.

Adequate resettlement planning may increase theinitial investment costs of the project, but there willbe long-term benefits including fewer delays andcost escalations during project implementation,reduced welfare costs to society and increasedbenefits from economically productive resettlers.

Public healthThe ESIA will need to address local public healthimpacts, especially in developing countries. Healthprofiling of the local population can be done usingframeworks based on Health Impact Assessmentprocedures (HIAs). HIAs are "a combination ofprocedures or methods by which a policy, programor project may be judged as to the effects it mayhave on the health of a population" (WHO 1999).HIAs seek to predict the health impact of a policy,program or project (including a development)usually before implementation, and ideally early inthe planning stage. They aim to facilitate thereduction or avoidance of negative impacts onhuman health and enhance positive impacts.

Profiling identifies the key aspects of thepopulation's health status, particularly thosefactors that may be susceptible to change or thatmay act as indicators of anticipated health impacts.It provides a baseline against which potentialhealth impacts can be assessed.

Information for profiling is likely to include:> Characteristics of the population covered (e.g.

size, distribution, age and sex, birth rate,ethnicity, etc)

> Health status of the population (e.g. mortality,disability, morbidity, chronic disease),particularly of at-risk groups (e.g. young,elderly and/or poor people)

> Health behavior indicators (e.g. rates of alcoholuse and alcohol-related harms)

> Locations where at-risk groups may beconcentrated (e.g. particular localities, schools,child care centers, nursing homes, facilities forelderly people, etc)

> Other social and environmental conditions.

The 'local' population that needs to be consideredmay be defined in various ways. If the communityis small it may be simplest to profile the wholecommunity. Alternatively, only the part of thecommunity near the site, the quarries or atransport route may need to be profiled, or someother community that defines itself as having aninterest. The boundaries identified and the reasonsfor their choice should be explained by theproponent of the new project.

Health (or illness) data may be available from localauthorities, the relevant health authority or othergovernment agencies. A reasonably clear picture ofthe health status, needs and potentialvulnerabilities of the local population should bepossible, provided special local factors (such asthose outlined above) are taken into account. Ifnot, the proponent should discuss the level ofdetail required for the profiling phase further withthe local health authority.

Biodiversity and ecosystemsBiological diversity (biodiversity) means thevariability among living organisms from all sources,including the ecological complexes of which theyare part, and the diversity within and betweenspecies and of ecosystems (as defined in theConvention on Biological Diversity). Biodiversitysupports soil fertility, water purity, regulatesclimate and provides 75% of the world'spopulation with medicinal plants.

A significant proportion of the world's population,particularly poor and rural people in developingcountries, directly depend on the surrounding areafor subsistence and livelihood support (includingfood, building and clothing materials, animal foodsand tradable products such as timber).

Biodiversity also provides less immediately obviousbenefits, such as environmental services (being themedium through which air, water, gases etc aremoderated and exchanged to provide such benefitsas watershed protection, carbon absorption andstorage, and nutrient recycling), and aestheticbenefits (such as unique species and speciallandscapes) which can also be associated withtourism. There are therefore close relationshipsbetween the environmental, social and economicimplications of any impacts from the cementindustry on biodiversity and ecosystems.

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Habitats, wildlife and biodiversityconservation

Heidelberg Cement Group – Schelklingen cementworks

Biodiversity and habitat conservation are keyconcerns at the quarries at Schelklingen cementworks – the ecological value of these quarrieshave been found to be highly significant byseveral independent institutions (universities,nature conservation groups, independentbiologists). A few of the ecological highlights arementioned here. For more information, pleasevisit www.heidelbergcement.com or read thearticle “Creating an idyllic nature site in a quarry– nature conservation and public relations asinstruments of sustainable raw materialsprocurement” CEMENT INTERNATIONAL 06/2004p. 108-115

> Endangered species, such as the little ringedplover: This endangered species of birdoriginally lived on natural stone, gravel andsandbanks, but now relies on quarries andgravel pits to survive. Four to five pairs arebreeding and regularly rearing their young inthe quarries of Schelklingen.

> Rehabilitation, including various methods ofrestoration and rehabilitation have been tried,and scientifically monitored – Schelklingenhas a record of more than ten years’ sustainedecological research. Such methods include:• spreading cuttings (to re-colonize bare, dry

rock devoid of humus), • recultivation (e.g.: planting hedges that are

highly biodiverse and are hopefullyencouraging partridge – a rare species inthe region; and sowing a mixture of nativeshrub and tree seeds on theembankments, following the forestryauthority’s recommendation) and

• natural succession (which promotes thedevelopment of non-competitive plantspecies of the dry and semi-dry grasslandsthat can survive on dry and rockyenvironments).

The Convention on Biological Diversity recognizedthat protected areas are essential to conservebiodiversity. Protected areas are dedicated to theprotection and maintenance of biological diversityand of natural and associated cultural resources,which are managed through legal or other effectivemeans. The existence and the quality ofmanagement of protected areas are indicators ofsociety's commitment to conservation, althoughconservation and the ecologically sustainable useof biodiversity cannot be confined to protectedareas as much critical and valuable biodiversity isfound beyond these boundaries. As the cementindustry often occupies and modifies large amountof land with plants and quarries, boundaryconflicts with protected areas can arise.

There are varying categories of protection. TheIUCN guidance, based on six categories ofprotected areas, recommends no mining incategories I to IV (which constitute less than 4% ofthe Earth's surface), with some mining potentiallybeing acceptable in categories V and VI, ifcompatible with the protected area objectives,subject to EIA and strictly controlled.

The types of data that need to be collected onbiodiversity include:> Locations of protected areas> Locations of sensitive or important habitats or

ecosystems> Distributions of protected species> Distributions of protected habitats> Experts in biodiversity, including taxonomic

specialists / wildlife biologists> Uses of biodiversity resources (e.g. data,

information, organizations, etc)> The geology and hydrology, soil quality, water

resources and water quality, climatology andmeteorology of the area.

It is likely that data will need to be collected over along period, especially for the analysis of hydrologyand meteorology, with the in situ collection andstudy of ecosystem data normally taking more thana year to cover seasonality.

The analysis is likely to cover an area larger thanthat directly occupied by plant and quarriesbecause industrial and mining activity maygenerate both direct negative impacts, such as landtake, loss of vegetation, noise, vibration, pollution,


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etc., or indirect impacts such as microclimatevariation, loss of food, and loss of animal andvegetal reproductive capacity.

The analysis will examine the biological andecological values of the area (see Framework forintegrating biodiversity into the site selectionprocess, details in Appendix 1). The varying degreeof sensitivity of these values that will affect theidentification and declaration of:> highly sensitive and strictly protected core areas

(that may influence decisions not to site or tosite elsewhere);

> buffer or intermediate zones in which, alwayssubject to prior ESIA, less stringent rules apply;and

> the areas where industrial and quarryingactivities are more compatible with localecosystems.

The biodiversity of certain limestone ecosystemsmay need special consideration during the analysis.Some limestone areas are significant in that theyeither harbor protected species (such as bats,orchids etc) or comprise caves that are best knownas karst features. Karst landscapes are importantarchives of valuable information about pastenvironmental conditions as well as historicalevidence of human culture. Many karst areas areregarded as exceptionally beautiful and havecultural, archeological, palaeontological andgeological value and importance.

Cultural heritage and landscapesCultural heritage can be defined as the presentmanifestation of the human past. It refers to sites,structures and remains of archaeological, historical,religious, cultural, economic or aesthetic value.Such value can be assessed using concepts such as'cultural significance' and 'significance assessment'(World Bank; see Appendix 2 for definitions).

Similarly, human beings have created 'culturallandscapes' by domesticating the naturalenvironment, particularly through agro-pastoralactivity. Some such landscapes have been createdfor aesthetic reasons, such as gardens and parks.Others have a more utilitarian nature (e.g.cultivation) but may also be of a high aestheticorder. Yet others, such as mountains, lakes, cliffs orforests, have been imbued by human beings with aspecial spiritual meaning and reflect their

conception of the relations between humanity andnature and the gods. Cultural landscapes bearwitness to humanity’s creativity and imagination,technical, economic and social development, andcultural wealth.

As with biodiversity, cultural heritage andlandscapes need appropriate site surveys, studyand evaluation, carried out by specialists such ashistorians, archaeologists, landscape architects, etc.Also as with biodiversity, various levels of protectedareas exist. If archaeological surveys areundertaken, these may require timetables rangingfrom a few months for a simple surface survey to amuch longer period if more extensivearchaeological excavation and classification of findsare required.

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AlternativesThe consideration of alternatives at the scopingand design stage, before any commitment to aparticular action has been made, has to beintegrated in a proactive way in the ESIA andprovides the opportunity to minimize or eliminatethe negative environmental and social impacts ofthe project. Alternatives may be considered atdifferent times during the development of theproject in the form of selection or elimination offirst technical options and optimization of finalengineering designs.

For the cement industry, the main alternativesconcern location of the plants and quarries, andprocess options for the exploitation and transportof the raw materials. For the process design, bestavailable techniques (BAT) for the cement industrymay be used to identify the most suitable choices.Location alternatives are likely to includeconsideration of the presence of exploitablemineral deposits, of suitable infrastructure (energy,transport, etc.) and market demand.

Conserving ancient kilns

Lafarge China, DuJian Yang, founded a museum toexhibit kilns dating back 800 years, discoveredduring earthmoving for a new plant.

Objective

To conserve and promote the archeologicalheritage discovered during earthmoving for a newplant in China.

Context

In 1998, Lafarge and the Chinese authorities beganthe construction of a model cement plant inSichuan, a region in the heart of China which hadonly recently opened up to foreign investment.During the works, a number of kilns dating fromthe Song Dynasty (800 years old) were discovered.

Solution

The construction of the cement plant wasinterrupted. With the agreement of the local RelicsOffice, Lafarge made the decision to exhibit thekilns in a purpose-built museum located on theplant premises.

Results

After a five-month interruption to the works, thearcheological treasure was preserved, restored andmade available to the public in a dedicatedmuseum.


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Construction phase

IntroductionThe construction phase of a cement plant and/orquarry, usually lasting two to three years, has thepotential for a variety of positive and negativeenvironmental and social impacts. The mostimportant of these impacts are described below.

Environmental impactsTrafficIn the construction phase of a cement plant and/orquarry, the transport of material for buildingusually generates environmental and socialimpacts. The principle negative impacts oftransporting construction materials by road are:> Climate change impacts from emissions from

vehicles using fossil fuels (as well as from otheruses of energy from fossil fuels), and fromclearing vegetation as a result of construction ofroads etc;

> Noise and ground vibration, dust and dirt,visual effects;

> Potential soil contamination from fuels, oil, andother hazardous materials;

> Potential health and safety risk due to increasein traffic and access to the construction site (ifnot adequately controlled);

> Potential health impacts and nuisance factorsdue to noise, dust, vibrations, etc.

The diesel storage for heavy equipment may alsogenerate environmental impacts unless specialmitigation designs are adopted.

The potential positive impacts are primarily socio-economic in nature and may include:> Job creation and skills development, with

associated increase in living standards;

> Development and improvement of localphysical and socio-economic infrastructure.

Some of the negative impacts of traffic in theconstruction phase are direct impacts of the project(e.g. noise generation, health and safety risks),while others are secondary impacts (e.g. nuisanceto local communities due to noise). Many of theimpacts also have the potential to combine withimpacts from other activities that affect the sameresources to cause cumulative effects (e.g. theclearing of vegetation can lead to cumulativefragmentation of habitats if other activities havesimilar impacts).

Potential traffic impacts should be discussed withlocal authorities. Any negative impacts may thenbe addressed by, for example, creating new roadsand routing traffic away from sensitive areas, dustand emission minimization, speed controls,covering loads to reduce spills, and cleaningvehicles and roads.

Waste managementWaste produced during the construction phase of acement plant and/or quarry exploitation process isprimarily solid waste resulting from mechanicaland electrical installation operations (e.g. creatingvisual impacts from the storage of topsoil andother solid wastes), and liquid effluents (e.g.possibly causing emissions and erosion problems).

On the positive side, the early establishment of awaste management policy and plans can provide asustainable base for future operations on the site,and needs to take both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes into account.

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Significant reductions in the need to dispose ofwaste materials of all kinds can be achieved byestablishing an effective reuse and recyclingregime, with the appropriate training to support it.

Waste management practices and requirementswill vary from one location to another. Thenegative impacts of waste from the constructionphase can be addressed by, for example, carefulplanning of the location of all types of waste tomitigate the negative visual impacts of the works,and the use of topsoil elsewhere (e.g. in quarryrestoration). Liquid effluents can be managed bydeveloping a site drainage plan to manage theflow of surface water and minimize thecontamination of other water flows. Erosion can beminimised by, for example, replanting any exposedsoils as quickly as possible.

OverburdenTwo components of overburden result from theconstruction phase of a cement plant and/orquarry extraction process, both resulting fromstripping operations before the development of thesite: the soils (topsoil and subsoil), and othermaterial surplus to requirements.

Soil and overburden management

South Africa has some of the toughestenvironmental legislation, and punitive damageshave been required from directors and companiesfor environmental degradation.

Since the 1990s, Holcim (South Africa) Pty hasrun a program to manage soil and overburden forall their quarries. The program starts at thedevelopment stage and continues through to thequarry closure and rehabilitation phase. Newlystripped overburden is used to reclaim a recentlyexploited section of the quarry. Care is taken tomatch re-cultivation and landscaping with thesurrounding landforms.

Costs for overburden removal are forecasted inthe yearly operations budgets of the quarry.Separate financial provisions, based upon tonnesremoved, are put aside into a trust fund which isexternally and independently managed. Duringthe quarrying scheduling phase, managers mustrequest funds from the independent trusteesbased upon the targeted exploitation plan.Management cannot use the funds for any otherpurpose other than for overburden managementthrough site reclamation. At the closure of a site,all remaining funds within the trust fund shouldbe utilized.

On historical sites, which Holcim (South Africa)previously exploited and may not even own anylonger, and where soil and overburdenmanagement was not performed, a riskassessment is prepared, resulting in a siterestoration plan (if needed). A trust fund has beenset up to deal with these historic sites (64 sites ofthis type have been identified to date).

Positive impacts of overburden may include thepotential for selling it for use in agriculture, and insome cases using fine material from limestonequarries in carbonated fertilizers and in precastconcrete.

The main negative impacts of the overburdengenerated during the construction phase arerelated to poor location of topsoil and otherstockpiles which can affect the visual image of thesite. The negative impacts may be managed by, for


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example, using overburden at the quarry toconstruct anti-noise and dust barriers or screeningmounds, in quarry restoration, in rehabilitating theplant area after construction, or for sealing and/orre-vegetating topsoil stockpiles and completedearthworks.

Social impactsTransitory population increaseThe potential for employment and access to newservices may draw people to the area around anew cement plant and quarry. On the positiveside, there may be a temporary increase ineconomic activity and employment for the localcommunity, local skills development, and thepossibility of increased funding for publicinfrastructure due to population increase.

Potential negative social and socio-economiceffects may include the resettlement of localcommunities; an influx of strangers into localcommunities, disrupting social systems andcommunity structures and affecting communityvalues, family values and religion; increaseddemand on local services and infrastructure (e.g.by bringing in illness and disease); negative effectson community members if the increase in livingstandards due to job creation is not sustainable(e.g. where job opportunities cease aftercompletion of the construction phase); and anincrease in crime and deviant behavior (e.g. drugabuse, prostitution).

The negative impacts of temporary populationincrease during the construction phase may bemanaged by:> Employing engineers, construction workers and

contractors from the immediate area; > Avoiding building permanent infrastructure

which will not be used after construction;> Providing new amenities if the local

infrastructure is inadequate; > Obeying the local customs of the area; > Avoiding using workers from different areas if

that could result in clan, ethnic or religiousrivalry.

InfrastructureThe construction phase of a cement plant and/orquarry exploitation will require both permanentand temporary infrastructure to be created, or useof the local community's infrastructure. The level of

infrastructure in the community should be assessedprior to developing new infrastructure. Key issuesto be investigated will include the cost to the localcommunity, compatibility with the community'sexisting infrastructure, the environmental andsocial impact of proposed infrastructure and thefuture use of the infrastructure after construction iscompleted.

The positive impacts of the development of theinfrastructure may including providing aid todevelopment in the community, and an increase inthe standard of living.

The negative impacts of infrastructuredevelopment during construction may bemanaged by using infrastructure that can be easilydismantled after construction (if appropriate), andby developing or upgrading the infrastructure inways that will benefit the local community (e.g.roads).

Health and safetyThe construction phase may generate safetyhazards in relation to increases in traffic and accessto the construction site (if not adequatelycontrolled), and potential health impacts andnuisance factors due to noise, dust, vibrations, etc.On the positive side, the implementation of generalhygiene measures and general measures of safetycan constitute a sustainable policy for the future,especially during the operations phase.

The project manager should take the necessarymeasures to avoid / minimize the negative healthand safety impacts by, for example, trainingemployees in off-road driving; acclimatization ofworkers, visitors and contractors in regions of highaltitude, desert or humid coastal regions; ensuringawareness of hygiene, hazards in the locallandscape (e.g. quicksand), severe weatherconditions, on-site hazards (e.g. specialequipment), and endemic diseases (including howto avoid and treat them).

Companies will need to comply with allinternational, national and local health and safetystandards that may exist (see outcomes from CSITask Force 3 on Health and Safety).

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Operations phase

IntroductionThe operations phase of a cement plant can bevery long and often lasts up to 50 years(sometimes more). There is potential for bothpositive and negative impacts on environmental, aswell as local and regional socio-economic, systems,including some cumulative effects.

The ESIA can provide a framework for themitigation and management of adverse impactsthroughout the cement production process,concentrating on preventative measures ratherthan mitigation or compensation measureswhenever possible.

The true potential of any ESIA lies in the possibilityfor linkages with other tools of environmentalmanagement during the operations phase. In suchan integrated approach, the ESIA will form part of alarger toolkit of instruments to achievemanagement of the potential environmental andsocial impacts of the project throughout theproject life cycle. For example, linking the ESIA withan environmental and social management systemwill ensure that the ESIA findings become anintegral part of the day-to-day management of theproject, employing planned monitoring, reviewand corrective action activities to achieve continualimprovement of the environmental and socialperformance of the project.

Social impactsThe social environments likely to be affected bycement plant and quarry operations include localpeople, their communities, their environment andtheir economy. Social impacts depend on the scale,location and components of operations, but can be

assessed by focusing on community well-being,which covers public health and safety, the livingenvironment, satisfaction of basic needs, access topublic services and landscape aesthetics.

There are likely to be both positive and negativesocial impacts on local communities from cementoperations. Examples of potential negative socialimpacts include: > Additional pressure on the existing physical

infrastructure (sewerage, water supply, etc.)and social infrastructure (health services,educational facilities, etc);

> Impacts on the health of local populations;> Disruption to social networks due to influx of

people;> Decline in community cohesion;> Increase in crime and deviant behavior (e.g.

drug abuse and prostitution);> Changes in perceptions (e.g. of rich and poor);

and > Changed cultural values.

On the positive side, cement companies mayprovide financial and in-kind support to localcommunities and disadvantaged groups (e.g.improved access for local communities to healthcare, education, skills development and training,sanitation and recreation). They may also provideinfrastructure improvements including medicalfacilities, new schools, commercial, recreationaland educational facilities, water supplies and publicsanitation facilities. Planning to provide socialbenefits to local communities should therefore bean integral part of project management andengineering.


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School Center

In 1998, Holcim’s Colombian subsidiary developeda project to provide secondary education andagricultural training to children of local farmers,and promote environmental awareness andimprovement around its cement facility in Nobsa.The project was driven by the local plantmanagers, who hoped to train the youth of theregion so that they did not feel forced to leave.

With initial costs of approximately US$ 220,000,and with the enthusiastic participation of the entireworkforce, a school center (Centro Juvenil FelixGloor) with a total floor space of 1,500 m2 wasconstructed in 83 days.

Around 60 girls and boys from the local farmingand mining communities in which HolcimColombia is active now attend the schoolregularly. They are taught to use their country’sresources in a sustainable manner and contributeto the well-being of their families and the region.Education and farming are the school’s mainprograms.

The children live at the center from Monday toFriday. Each morning they are taught educationalbasics and the afternoons are devoted toagricultural skills at the school’s farm, learning togrow and cultivate the produce needed to createself-supporting farms.

The center admits thirty children (aged 11 to 13)every two years, and the students graduate aftersix years. The center expects its first 30 graduatesin 2005.

New jobs may be created and economic growthstimulated, and the growth of local businessenterprises supported. Opportunities for growthand development are created through theattraction of supporting industries (e.g. vehiclemaintenance services) and complementaryindustries (e.g. building material manufacturers).The local economy may benefit from the influx ofcapital and the increase in disposable income (fromplant employees), both of which may bemanifested in a multiplier effect in the localeconomy. As a result, the quality of the local laborforce and standard of living may improve, as well

as there being greater social stability due to greatereconomic prosperity.

Contractors also have an important role to play,employing many people, providing housing andlocal retail services (e.g. food shops), purchasinglocally, and developing local businesses. Thesebenefits and opportunities will, however, need tobe developed to reach their fullest potential (e.g.by helping local entrepreneurs to establish and runthese services for local benefit).

The operations of a cement plant or quarry involvepartnerships between the company and relevantstakeholders in order to negotiate and findcommon ground for the management ofenvironmental and social issues. A cementcompany can understand community needsthrough such dialogue and can work withstakeholders to help meet expressed needs (e.g.infrastructure, job training, health care, education,nutrition).

Consultation with stakeholders and other proactiverelationships can be valuable to cement operationsand are worth pursuing as community support iscritical and ideas and suggestions fromstakeholders can be insightful and useful inimproving a facility’s operation.

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Local partnerships with Habitat forHumanity

Lafarge Venezuela and Habitat For Humanitysigned a cooperation agreement in October 2003for the construction of 250 houses. The project isintended mainly for families affected by the 1999Vargas tragedy (torrential rains fell on Venezuelaand destroyed many villages). In line with theHabitat for Humanity principles, houses are sold atlow price and without interest, and future ownerscontribute to the construction work.

Lafarge Venezuela and Habitat for Humanitycommitted to coordinate and organize theconstruction of 56 houses by the end of 2003, and194 more during 2004. Habitat for Humanity willprovide building counseling and advice, andLafarge Venezuela will supply the cement neededfor the execution of the project – for a symbolicprice, thus reducing the cost of the houses.

In South Korea, the Lafarge subsidiaries concludeda sponsoring agreement with Habitat for HumanityKorea to supply all cement and gypsum for oneyear's construction projects. Lafarge Halla Cementprovided 984 tons of cement and Lafarge GypsumKorea 6,300 sheets of plasterboard for theconstruction of 40 houses. 80 Lafarge employeesand their families volunteered to work on theproject during the summer vacations.

In Romania, a five-year agreement was signedbetween Lafarge Romcim and Habitat forHumanity Romania. Lafarge Romcim agreed tomake available financial support consisting ofbuilding materials and will encourage donationsfrom subsidiaries. Teams of volunteers made up ofLafarge employees from all activities in Romania(cement, concrete and aggregates, gypsum androofing) will be involved in building houses. Thefirst mixed volunteers team worked in 2003 inBeius (Western Romania) to finalize two Habitathouses. The fifth year of the program (2006) willbe devoted to building a house using exclusivelyLafarge materials.

Occupational health and safetyEmployee well-being requires consideration of theoccupational health and safety of workers andcontractors, workplace conditions (e.g. wages,benefits, security, rights and growth opportunities),as well as job satisfaction and pride.

The health and safety risks in a cement plantduring operations include potential for respiratorydiseases, burns, allergies and industrial accidents.Additional hazards can arise from the use ofchemicals in the process and explosive materialsused in quarrying activities (see box below). Allsuch hazards can be successfully controlled by theadoption of safe plant methods, training programsand occupational health and safety managementsystems.


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Security measures to reduce risks fromexplosives

There are particular problems in preventingaccidents and reducing the dangers to safety fromthe use and storage of explosives at quarries. Thecement company has a responsibility under thelaws and standards of global and local regulatoryregimes to take security measures to avoid any riskof the explosive materials used at quarries beingtaken for use in terror attacks and other crimes.

Particular issues to consider where explosives arestored on site are:> Managers of the storage and use of explosives

need special training and qualifications (e.g. onlaw and regulations, the properties ofexplosives and their safe use and managementto prevent accidents).

> The storage of explosives at the quarry shouldtake local residents and the local communityinto account. Explosives need to be kept in alocked storage facility, in an appropriatelocation, with the correct storage conditions(e.g. temperature, humidity, ventilation) andwith clear notices providing warnings of thedanger zone.

> Managers of the blasting will want to considerfixing the number of workers allowed to workwith explosives; ensuring there are alwayspersonnel available to keep watch; controllingflammable materials (including a ban onsmoking) and prevention of static electricityand stray current; weather conditions (thunder,sandstorms, snowstorms, etc.); the transportand use of explosives.

> Workers using explosives will require specialtraining, and they should also be clearlydistinguished from other workers (e.g. bywearing an armband).

> Explosives used at the quarry should meetglobal and local safety standards covering boththe ingredients of explosives and their qualityof performance.

> Careful records need to be kept, including ofthe storage situation and kind of explosiveskept, the amount of storage and consumption,the consumption location, and themanufacturing date. There also need to berecords of all deliveries and dispositionsincluding every transport movement andreturn.

A system to measure, monitor and report on healthand safety performance has been developed withinthe CSI (see outcome of Task Force 3), coveringcommon definitions, reporting indicators,guidelines for occupational health and safetymanagement systems and for general health.

In general, measures to avoid, minimize andmitigate the negative health and safety impacts ofthe operations of a cement plant may include:> Compliance to all international, national or

local health and safety standards that may exist;> Training of all personnel in the use of protective

equipment and chemical handling;> Clear marking of work site hazards and training

in recognition of hazard symbols;> Training of all personnel in fire prevention and

protection;> Regular noise surveys to ensure the on-site

maximum levels are not exceeded;> Development of inspection, testing and

maintenance programs;> Accident investigation and prevention

initiatives; and> Development of and training in site emergency

response plans.

Plant safety improved through cleanlinessand landscaping

Cantagalo, Lafarge Brazil, found that thedevelopment of landscaped areas and theenhanced cleanliness of the plant could have apositive impact on safety performance.

Objective. To improve working conditions andsafety performance and reduce particulate levels.

Context. The plant’s overall appearance affectspeople’s attentiveness to keeping the site clean.For example, leaks and other technical problemsare detected and can be dealt with more promptlyin a well-kept plant.

Solution. For over a decade, the plant has pursueda policy of Orderliness, Cleanliness andHousekeeping (abbreviated 'OAL' in Portuguese)that has proved highly beneficial to the image ofthe plant, the motivation of the workers and thesafety statistics. The landscaping effort is part ofthe same policy, and the plant now employs

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Environmental impactsThe cement industry has reduced theenvironmental 'footprint' of its operations, butenvironmental challenges continue. For example,in certain regions, overall pollution levels mayeventually exceed the natural capacity ofecosystems and cement plants (in common withother industrial developments) are likely to faceincreasingly strict emission controls.

Current options for controlling negativeenvironmental impacts overall includemanagement systems which cover monitoring ofemissions, research on public health effects to allayconcerns, technological improvements and processcontrols to reduce emissions. Best AvailableTechniques (BAT) should be used to avoid,minimize and remedy potentially negativeenvironmental impacts arising from the operationof a cement plant. In addition, good managementcontrol, proper training of personnel, andoptimized standard operating procedures (SOPs)often provide the easiest, most cost-efficient andmost successful solutions to avoid, minimize andmitigate potentially adverse environmentalimpacts.

Meeting community challenges onenvironmental impacts

In 1997, in Croatia after the war with Serbia, RMCacquired an interest in a previously state-ownedcement company, Dalmacijacement. The plant ison the Dalmatian Coast, a destination for touristson the Adriatic Sea.

In 1999, when RMC acquired managementcontrol, it brought in a new Managing Directorwith a lot of experience of environmental andcommunity matters. Within weeks of his arrival, aCroatian environmental group broke into the website of another RMC business unit in a largewestern country. They did this to publicize thepoor environmental record of a chemical (PVC)company some distance from the cement worksand also to draw attention to other polluting sitesin the locality. They linked several photographsincluding one of the main Dalmacijacement plant.

This action prompted the new Managing Directorto investigate matters on his plants. He discovereda history of difficult communication between theprevious management and the local community.He immediately implemented an open-doorpolicy, inviting local decision makers, communityrepresentatives, and the media to discuss his plansfor improvements but explained that they couldnot be carried out overnight. He said that his firstjob was to improve the plant’s operation andcement quality so that the business would becommercially viable and jobs protected. Followingthat, he would address environmental issues. Thecommunity was not used to such an openapproach, and they responded with support forthe new manager. His approach improved theplant’s reputation and further improvements havesince been made to the environmentalperformance of the plant to the point where it waspresented with an award in 2003 by the Ministryof Environmental Protection of the Republic ofCroatia in public recognition of its four yearenvironmental investment program.

three people to maintain the grounds andgardens. Vehicle traffic over dirt roads wasgenerating substantial quantities of dust, but nowdirt roads are gradually being paved in an effort tocontrol fugitive dust emissions.

Results. Cantagalo provides a good example of thecorrelation between plant cleanliness and safety.Most of the dirt roads are now paved, and theplant boasts more flowers than most other Grouplocations. The goal is for all surfaces in the plantcompound to be one of two types: paved roads orlandscaping.


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QuarryingCement production involves the use of severalquarried raw materials, such as limestone, clay,shale and gypsum.

Limestone is one of the key raw materials forcement production. It is widely available and is oneof the most versatile industrial rocks, but extractionis likely to impact on environmental quality,biodiversity and landscape aesthetics. Somelimestone regions are noteworthy for their highlycharacteristic biodiversity, unique fossil record ortheir importance as ancient and modern culturalheritage sites.

Elements of these biological and cultural resourceshave considerable economic value, particularly atlocal level. Therefore, environmental and socialassessments should not overlook potentiallyunique biological, cultural, geological and scenicfeatures when assessing the impact of quarryprojects on limestone or other raw materials-sourceareas.

Some development activities may eliminate speciesand cultural sites and simple preventive steps canavoid this. For example, sites already disturbed,without caves or in a large connected area oflimestone should be favored over untouched sites.More broadly, rational exploitation strategiesshould be developed within the context of regionalinventories and assessments of limestoneresources. There is also a range of managementoptions, from reducing blasting impacts torestoring sites that can capture many of theoriginal values of these areas.

Progressive rehabilitation throughout the life of aquarry will ensure that the residual impacts arekept to a minimum. Every effort should be made toreduce impacts on the surrounding area and createan ecological reserve to compensate for the areadegraded. Possible measures to reduce the impactsof quarry operations include:> Establishment of a buffer zone to separate the

mining activities from the surrounding area;> rotection of any biodiversity rich areas;> On-site reclamation and rehabilitation;> Off-site rehabilitation and habitat restoration

programs;> Increased worker and public awareness of

biodiversity issues.

Creating an ornithological observatory

The Lafarge, Flicourt, France, quarry rehabilitationprogram includes the establishment of anornithological observatory.

Objective. To restore a quarry as a wetland andbuild public awareness of the restored site’s valuein terms of biodiversity.

Context. Wetlands are natural ecosystemscharacterized by extensive biodiversity, especiallymigratory birds. In Europe, wetlands are seriouslythreatened by the drainage of areas for farmingand urbanization, and also by water pollution. Therehabilitation of former alluvial quarries is anopportunity to re-create wetlands to promotebiodiversity.

Solution. Lafarge developed a wetland at itsFlicourt site and sought the support of the GreaterParis Parks Authority (Agence des Espaces Verts dela Region Ile-de-France) to turn it into a naturediscovery facility open to the public. Specificfeatures (such as resting perches, a variety ofnesting habitats, reinstatement of vegetationindigenous to the Seine Valley) were included inthe development in order to attract birds. Finally,two ornithological observatories were set up onthe banks of a 7-hectare lake, where visitors canwatch the birds without disturbing them.

Results. Today, the site is populated by 150species of nesting and migratory birds and hasbeen designated as a Zone of Community Interestfor Birds (ZICO). Nature discovery activities areorganized by the Greater Paris Parks Authority anda partner conservationist association. Thanks to thehigh quality of the rehabilitation program, theestablishment of this protected naturalenvironment has been successfully combined withthe development of educational and learningmaterials.

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The adverse landscape impacts of cement quarriescan be minimized or eliminated, and there aremany examples of advanced practices in quarryrestoration and management that contribute toecosystem and habitat protection, includingmonitoring methods employing specific indicatorsof biodiversity attributes. New quarryingtechniques can also minimize dust and noise, suchas computer aided techniques for depositevaluation and the preparation of optimalquarrying schemes.

It is usual for companies' annual operationsbudgets to have specific allocations for quarryrehabilitation, during both operations and closurephases. The intended land use of the quarry afterclosure should form part of the planning processfrom the earliest stages, thus minimizingrehabilitation and reclamation needs at the end ofits life.

Use of energy and raw materialsCement operations require large amounts ofenergy and raw materials, and there is heavydependence on fossil fuel energy (particularly coaland petcoke, fuel oil and natural gas for the kiln)and large quantities of limestone.

The amount of energy use varies for different kilnsystems but, in general, electrical energy used forcement production constitutes approximately 20%of its overall energy requirements, with associatedenvironmental impacts. The demand for electricityputs pressure on local electricity infrastructure,leads to increased air pollution (at the place ofgeneration) and places further pressure on limitedreserves of fossil fuels (depending on the methodof generation). Fuel demands for the burningprocess places further pressure on non-renewableresources.

Energy recovery from rice husks

Lafarge Cement, Illigan, The Philippines, has foundthat rice husks are a novel and 'home-grown'substitute for conventional fossils fuels in thePhilippines.

Objective. To reduce fossil fuel energy costs bysubstituting rice husks for conventional fuels.

Context. The limestone and other rock used inclinker production have a high moisture contentand must be dried prior to grinding. The rotarydryer installation used for this purpose traditionallyburns bunker fuel oil. In the Philippines, however,the major staple food is rice, which is grownextensively throughout the country. After theharvest, the grain is separated from the husk,generating a significant quantity of waste.Traditionally, husk disposal has meantuncontrolled open burning, leaving its calorificvalue untapped.

Solution. Lafarge decided to install an energyrecovery system and utilize the energy from ricehusks to fuel the rotary dryer. The farm co-operative collects rice husks in big bags (1 m3) fortransport to the cement plant, where the husks areintroduced directly into the flame of the rotarydryer. Rice husks are burned in place of bunkerfuel oil.

Results. The process allows rice husks to besubstituted for fossil fuel in a proportion of 35%,translating to a savings of 2 million liters of bunkerfuel oil per year. Taking advantage of biomassenergy recovery also decreases air pollution andgreenhouse gas emissions by reducing thequantity of fossil fuel burned.


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There are a number of options available forimproving industrial ecology and resourceproductivity, including the development ofproducts with lower material requirements, energyefficiency and conservation (e.g. waste gas fromthe kiln and calciner can be used for preheating thematerial feed), use of renewable forms of energy(biomass), effective reduction of waste, and moreefficient quarrying.

Re-using unwanted waste is another way ofreducing the use of non-renewable resources andcutting the costs of cement production (therebyincreasing the competitiveness of products andservices). It may also provide a waste managementservice for the local community and contribute toreducing greenhouse gas emissions (by reducingthe use of fossil fuels). The use of waste as fuel incement plants may also create opportunities forsupporting businesses, as the preparation ofdifferent types of waste for use as fuel is usuallydone outside the cement plant.

Any use of waste in this way should ensure notonly appropriate environmental protection but alsothe protection of human health and safety, for boththe workers and for those living and working in theneighborhood around a cement plant. Use of anyalternative fuels in cement kilns requires specialprovisions in plant operating procedures, staffing,and monitoring for worker protection, publichealth, and environmental quality. It also requiresthe development of emergency response plans andthe involvement of the potentially affectedcommunity.

CSI Task Force 2 has developed principles to guidethe use of waste in cement kilns alongside moredetailed guidance on alternative fuels.

Improper handling of fuels and raw materials atcement plants may create health and safety risksfor employees and the surrounding community.CSI Task Force 3 on Employee Health and Safetyhas developed principles for tackling health andsafety issues. In the operations phase of cementplants and quarries, the following are relevant tothe sourcing and use of fuels:> Design for safety (especially site suitability,

layout etc.);> Risk assessment (including criteria for

acceptance of risks and banning materials, and

preventative checks especially of equipment);> Management systems (including an industrial

hygiene program, an emergency plan, an auditsystem, documentation, communications andtraining).

Air emissionsAn air emission is an air pollution with potentiallyharmful or nuisance effects on human beings,animals, plants, their biological communities andhabitats, and the soil. Different raw materialexploitation and preparation procedures createdifferent sources of emissions in cementproduction, such as the quarrying and preparationof raw material, coal grinding, combustionprocesses, cement milling, packaging, and thestorage, blending, transport and loading of drymaterial.

A monitoring and reporting protocol for cementprocess emissions has been developed by CSI TaskForce on Emission monitoring and reporting.

Dust emissionsThe main sources of dust from the cementproduction process are kilns, raw materials mills,clinker coolers and cement mills. In all theseprocesses, large volumes of gases flow throughdusty material. However, the design and reliabilityof modern electrostatic precipitators and bag filtersensure that dust releases can be reduced to levelswhere they cease to be significant.

Cement manufacturing involves the movement ofdusty or pulverized materials from quarrying thelimestone to loading the finished product forshipment, and fugitive dust emissions can ariseduring the storage and handling of materials andsolid fuels, and also from road surfaces. Particulatereleases from the packing and dispatch ofclinker/cement can also be significant.

Control of dust resulting from hauling materialscan be a difficult challenge and can be an evengreater cause of air quality degradation than milland kiln exhausts. However, the control andminimization of fugitive dust from cement plantoperations need not require high costtechnological solutions. Well-planned managementof activities (e.g. in the methods of loading andmaterial transfer) can reduce the generation of dustsignificantly, and with relatively little additionalcost.

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Options for controlling dust from other operationsinclude the use of covered or enclosed conveyers,crushers, material transfer points and storage areas;installation of dust collectors and/or bag filterswhere needed; paved plant roads; vacuumsweepers for plant roads; sprinklers for plant roadsand storage piles; latex stabilizing sprays forstorage piles; and site landscaping and vegetation.

CO2 and climate changeThe cement industry is a large emitter of CO2, theprincipal greenhouse gas. The industry produces5% of global man-made CO2, of which 50% isfrom the chemical process of clinker productionand 40% from burning fuel. The cement industryrecognizes that global warming is an importantissue and that the industry shares in theresponsibility for tackling the problem. Climateprotection, and in particular reduction of CO2

emissions, is therefore an issue which the membersof the CSI take very seriously.

Three levers for improvement that can be appliedin a cement plant have been identified: > Increased energy efficiency in order to consume

less energy;> Using alternative fuels (e.g. biomass) to replace

conventional fuels; and > Greater use of cementitious additions such as

slag and fly ash

Quarry restoration with fruit-bearing trees

Cemex Espana was planting ornamental trees,mainly pines, around its quarries, but the treeswere not thriving in the local climate (semi-desert).Cemex Espana decided to change the reforestationscheme and to use fruit-bearing trees instead, withexcellent results.

Objectives. The original objective was to define agreen belt around the plant and the quarries toimprove the visual impact of the facilities, toreduce difficulties with the neighboring farmers,and to contribute to the reduction of the CO2emissions, by cultivating 150 hectares of trees.

Results. In addition to the expected results, theinnovative system of reforestation turned thequarry into a productive fruit bearing plantationthat generates employment for the localcommunity and additional benefits for the plant.At the moment the reforestation program covers118 hectares, with 10 hectares of plums, 38 ofpeaches, 36 of mandarins, 10 of almonds, 34 ofnectarines, and 26 of vineyards.

The cement industry already contributessubstantially to the reduction of greenhouse gasemissions by using alternative materials and fuelsand has improved energy efficiency for many years(see also “Use of engergy and raw materials” p 24).

CSI Task Force on climate protection, aims toimprove the quality of public information availableon the topic, particularly for companies working tomanage CO2 emissions accounting, emissionslimitation, and emissions trading. The Task Forcehas produced and tested a detailed CO2

accounting protocol, in association with the WorldResources Institute. The protocol is an Excelspreadsheet to enable worksheets to be compiled,and is supported by a Guide to the Protocol (seewww.wbcsdcement.org/pdf/co2-protocol.pdf).

Noise and vibrationThe heavy machinery (crushers, grinding mills,blowers, compressors and large fans) used incement manufacture can give rise to emissions ofnoise and/or vibration. Blasting activities in thequarrying process further contribute to high levels


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Traffic impactsThese arise from the transport of raw materials tothe plant, and delivery of cement to customers.Similar impacts and inconveniences are faced as inthe construction phase (see “Traffic” p 15 of theseguidelines). The measures suggested for theconstruction phase should be carried forward tothe operational stages and should be maintained asgood practice.

of noise and vibration. The accumulated effectsfrom various sources of noise and vibration canadversely affect the health and well-being ofworkers, as well as human, animal and plantspecies in the proximity of the site.

Mitigation measures to control the impact of noiseinclude noise suppressors, regulation of distancebetween noise sources and operators, isolation ofnoise sources and the provision of ear protectors toemployees working in areas where noise levelsexceed noise limits. Scheduling of blasting activitiesto correspond with higher ambient noise levels canminimize the impact on local communities.

Solid wasteWaste produced during clinker production consistsbasically of unwanted rock and soil wastematerials, which are removed from the rawmaterials during the preparation of the raw meal,and kiln dust removed from the by-pass flow andthe stack.Measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate the solidwaste impact of a cement plant may include:> Recycling dust to reduce the volume of solid

waste;> Incineration of waste materials in the burning

process, where practicable;> Use of rock and soil waste material to backfill

and rehabilitate quarries (where of a suitablequality); and

> Disposal of material that is not suitable forburning or backfilling of quarries in anacceptable manner.

Storm waterThe impact of storm waters should be addressedusing measures to divert the flow of surface wateraround the site and prevent the contamination ofstorm water (by pollutants, soil or any othermaterial from the site) where necessary. It is alsoimportant to develop a site drainage plan toreduce storm water flow and sediment load beforestorm water is discharged from the site.

Transportation of limestone from quarry toplant

In 2003, Japanese limestone production was 163million tons. About half of all limestone transportfrom quarry to plant was by belt conveyor system,sometimes covering distances of more than 22km.

Belt conveyor installations can overcomecomplicated geographical features (e.g. usingtunnels), and the natural environment can beprotected from dust and noise by covering theconveyor with a box culvert.

Belt systems can contribute to the localcommunity by reducing the traffic load andpromoting effective land use. Compared to the useof roads, railway tracks or ships, belt conveyorsystems are more economical, result in less fuelconsumption and provide cleaner, more stabletransportation under any climate conditions.

Others

1.0%Truck

22.0%

Belt conveyor

48.0%

Railway

7.5%

Vessel

21.5%

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Major modificationsThese can be defined as works, constructions, newequipment etc. that generate significant changes inoperations, emissions, etc. Major modifications canhave both positive and negative impacts,occasionally with cumulative effects. For changeswith a BAT background the positive effect may bemandatory. A similar approach should be followedas has been described in the construction phase(above).

Monitoring and reportingAn Environmental and Social Management Plan(ESMP) can ensure that the commitments made inthe ESIA, and in any subsequent assessmentreports, together with any license approvals orsimilar conditions, are implemented. The ESMPshould provide a framework for managing andmitigating environmental and social impacts forthe life of a cement facility, and can be used todemonstrate that sound practices (environmentaland social) will be followed throughout theestablishment and operation of the facility.

The monitoring part of the ESMP is designed todetermine the efficacy of mitigation measures andto verify predictions made at earlier stages of theESIA process. The monitoring program should bedesigned to determine whether mitigationmeasures have been implemented in accordancewith the agreed schedule and are working asexpected, or whether it is necessary to introducecorrective measures. Various guidelines and legalrequirements exist for the monitoring of differentenvironmental aspects and/or impacts (seeAppendix 1 for examples).

Monitoring can include:> Baseline monitoring which may be carried out

over seasons or years to quantify ranges ofnatural variation and/or directions and rates ofchange that are relevant to impact predictionand mitigation (both environmental and socialsystems);

> Compliance monitoring which aims to checkthat specific regulatory standards andconditions are met (e.g. in relation to pollutionemissions; see guidance from CSI Task Force 4on controlling emissions);

> Impact and mitigation monitoring which aimsto compare predicted and actual (residual)impacts and hence determine the effectivenessof mitigation measures.

Monitoring can aim to monitor conditions at thesources of the potential disturbances or at thelocations of impact receptors. Impact monitoring isparticularly relevant with regard to social impacts,as the cause of impacts is often not any singleimpact, but rather an accumulation of diffuseimpacts. Examples of this type of monitoringinclude: > Social and community indicators (e.g. changes

in quality of life, income levels, spendingpatterns, community health indicators,educational levels, family cohesion, etc.);

> Surface and ground water availability andquality in specific receptors (e.g. water bodieson or near the site); and

> Ecological indicators (e.g. indicator animal orplant species).

The monitoring of social impact variables is crucialto the success of the social assessment. Togetherwith mitigation measures, monitoring can be usedto manage the uncertainty associated with socialimpacts and their assessment.

Monitoring programs that involve localcommunities can be very successful. This requiresthat communities be supplied with the necessaryresources to assume some of the monitoring andmitigation responsibilities.


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Closure of site

IntroductionThe decision to close a site (quarry or cementplant) is shaped by factors including the availabilityand quality of raw materials (including miningpermits), production costs (including operationalpermits), competition, and market demand forcement. Site closure may include the total orpartial cessation of operations (e.g. partial closure,reducing / downsizing operations, or mothballing).

The framework for deciding on the complete orpartial closure of a site should be taken intoaccount as early as possible in the development ofthe site (preferably at the scoping phase).

The actual closure process may take several yearsdepending on local agreements and regulations,the size of the facility, etc. The social,environmental, health and safety aspects need tobe addressed as well as opportunities forimprovements, as outlined below.

Community and stakeholderinvolvementAddressing the community's and stakeholders'needs in relation to the options for site closure isessential, and can avoid major delays which mayotherwise result from protests and legal actions.Dialogue with stakeholders likely to be affected bythe decommissioning of a plant can identify andaddress their needs and wishes, as well asdiscussing the environmental, social, economic andhealth and safety issues that may arise.

A socio-economic assessment should be conductedto identify possible impacts on the community andemployees due to closure of the facility or site.

Future site useAs cement plants operate for such long periods,communities may grow up around the site. Inaddition, in some countries, the actuallandholdings of cement plants and quarries areoften greater than the affected footprints. Whenrehabilitated or redeveloped, land affected bycement quarries and production can becomevaluable, and unaffected landholdings may havebecome important reservoirs of the original floraand fauna.

The closure of a quarry can present safety issues.Prior to closure, a hazard assessment should beconducted to identify possible areas of concernwhich may impact on the safety of the communityand employees, giving particular consideration topreventing uncontrolled access as well as potentialexposure to any hazardous materials on site.

The options for the final use of the site will beheavily dependent on who owns the land, whichmay not be the cement company itself, andwhether the owner has specific plans for futureuse.

If the property is owned by the cement company, aFuture Site Use Plan can be developed with theclose involvement of the local community, prior tothe decommissioning of the plant. The Future SiteUse Plan should take into account the amount ofremediation and rehabilitation that will berequired, and any development of the site that mayprovide the stakeholders with an agreed outcome(such as a sustainable source of employment andincome) and be sustainable in the long term.

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Future uses, especially of quarries, may includerehabilitation as nature reserves, as farmland, aswoodlands, as wetlands or aquatic ecosystems, orthe land could be developed for industrial orcommercial uses, or for community use.

Community involvement in future site use

Debate about future site uses is commonly part ofdecommissioning a facility and activecommunications including stakeholderinvolvement can be critical in reaching aresolution. At their closed plant in Kent (South EastEngland), RMC subsidiary Rugby Cement stillowns the site, and meets with a communitycommittee that cares very much about the futureuse of the site.

At another closed plant, in Chinnor in Oxfordshire,the situation of the Rugby Cement plant changedover time. Originally built away from a village, thevillage grew until it was directly next to the plant.In the past a relatively high proportion of residentsworked at the plant, but this proportion hasdropped and the village is now in the Londoncommuter belt. Here the company wants todevelop its land for a multiplicity of uses includingresidential, small-scale industrial and publicamenity. It is working with representatives of thevillage to draw up redevelopment proposals.

RehabilitationRehabilitation is the process by which the site isrestored to a level which is both environmentallyand aesthetically acceptable. The level ofrehabilitation will depend on the future use of thesite, regulatory considerations and the wishes ofthe landowner (see 6.3 above).

For quarries and cement plants, rehabilitationshould be a continuing process throughout theoperations phase, and might includedecommissioning plant equipment forredeployment or resale as scrap, or reuse ordemolition of disused structures. In certain cases, atthe end of the operations phase, rehabilitationcould be considered for the whole area covered bythe cement manufacturing footprint.

Prior to site rehabilitation, a hazard assessmentshould be conducted to identify if and wherehazardous materials are located and werehistorically used, and which areas have sufferedlocalized spills and other contaminations (e.g.underground storage tanks and materialscontaining asbestos). People working on siterehabilitation should be adequately trained andprotected from hazardous substances.

There will need to be extensive involvement of theproperty owner (if the property is leased), andrehabilitation plans need to be developed inpartnership with community officials andrepresentatives. Practical work to rehabilitate thesite (e.g. tree planting and ecological surveys) canprovide educational opportunities for youngpeople (e.g. through schools or clubs).

Rehabilitation of cement quarry

Previous situation. A Holcim Polpaico cementfacility located in Cerro Blanco, Chile, was facedwith the task of decommissioning andrehabilitating an 800 hectare quarry. The quarry,located in an arid desert region, was in use for 50years and there were large areas of soil andbiodiversity degradation.

The solution. A rehabilitation study was conductedin 1991 and was integrated into the company'sstrategic plan. The rehabilitation plan involvescreation of green spaces, vegetation restoration,soil restoration, morphology restoration and slopestabilization. The main issues of the rehabilitationprocess have been water availability (dripirrigation), soil quality (increasing organic materialand reducing alkalinity) and enhancing vegetationsurvival rate (use of xerophytes).

The quarry rehabilitation is taking place in threephases: phase 1 is a five-year program covering160 hectares, phase 2 is a 15-year programcovering 480 hectares and phase 3 is a 30-yearprogram to totally rehabilitate areas affected bythe quarry and cement plant. The rehabilitationprogram started in 2002 and so far four pit lakescovering 52 hectares have been rehabilitated intofields covered with native vegetation.


EmploymentDue to the location of raw material deposits,cement plants and quarries may be developed inremote locations and may be providing theprimary economic engine of a community orregion through direct employment or throughindirect job creation. Job loss is often associatedwith closure of a site.

Decommissioning plans should be fully evaluatedto determine the magnitude of the social impactsof job losses on the local society and economy.Impacts can be minimized by relocating people todifferent sites or helping them finding jobs outsidethe company. If decommissioning results in afuture use of the site which generates alternativeforms of employment, the former employees couldbe retrained and offered jobs at the site.

In collaboration with local authorities, effortsshould be made to minimize the effects ofunemployment caused by closure (responsibleexit). Assisting the community to develop othersources for employment and income will reducethe long term impact associated withdecommissioning. For example, companies canhelp maintain the economic structure of acommunity by providing support which can beused to promote sustainable local businessactivities and alleviate job losses associated withthe site closure.

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Responsible restructuring

In 1998, the Holcim Lanka (Sri Lankan Group)company was hit by a heavy market downturn dueto ongoing political conflict and civil unrest in thecountry. Holcim Lanka needed to downsizeconsiderably at the plant in Puttalam, with about400 employees from a workforce total of 1,000losing their jobs. The company was committed tosupporting redundant employees in a way whichexceeded national laws. Specifically, it wanted toensure that those retiring earned a reasonablemonthly income as well as guarding against thepotential squandering of compensation payouts.

Employees were offered a voluntary earlyseparation plan, which included the option ofstarting their own small business. To facilitate this,a partnership was formed with two otherorganizations: Sri Lankan Small Business Center(SLSBC) identified promising entrepreneurs andtrained them for their new ventures, and HattonNational Bank offered low-interest loans. Thecompany’s role was to facilitate the process and tomaintain close communication with all newentrepreneurs.

A project manager supported the new businessesduring the difficult start-up phase, until theyreached self-sufficiency. Maintaining thepartnership between the organizations and smallbusinesses, and ensuring that the services of SLSBCand the bank remained continually available, wereimportant to the project’s success. A networkamong the entrepreneurs was also established.

About 270 employees accepted the voluntary earlyseparation plan and the additional support to setup their own businesses. By 2002, 261entrepreneurs were still in business and more than60% had a better income than during the timesthey had worked for Holcim Sri Lanka. And thebenefits extended further. Businesses wereestablished throughout the island, providing betterservices and products to their local communitiesincluding fruit and vegetable farming, engineeringservices, clothing factories and shops, transportservices, grocery stores, bakeries, bicycle shopsand others. This approach to restructuring hassince been applied by other Group companies.

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Social structureCement plants and quarries have long operationallife spans (up to 50 years) and can have astabilizing effect on the social structure ofneighboring communities through job creation,social projects and both direct and indirectcommunity involvement.

In planning the closure of a site, the overall existingsocial structure should be assessed to determinethe effect decommissioning would have on thesurrounding community, including as a result ofthe loss of support from the company for socialprojects (e.g. community health centers, fire andemergency services, training centers, child carefacilities etc). Grants or other arrangements withlocal authorities to help maintain any criticalservices identified in the assessment to helpminimize the impacts of site closure could beexplored.

Post closure monitoringChrome bricks, cement kiln dust, bypass dust, etcmay have been disposed or stored on the site inthe past. Post closure monitoring is required tomeasure resulting diffuse low level contaminationin soil or ground water. Substances such as heavymetals and organics are commonly monitored inground water and soil after closure in accordancewith local regulations.

In some places, there are legal requirements whichgovern the period of time over which monitoringneeds to continue (e.g. in the UK, under EUliabilities regulations, monitoring must continue for20 years). However, cement companies will needto know the extent of their long term potentialenvironmental impacts wherever they are located.

Post closure monitoring can be planned through astakeholder dialogue process involvingenvironmental agencies, public authorities,community representatives and other stakeholders.Monitoring can then demonstrate that the site hasbeen rehabilitated or is in a state which poses littleor no threat to human health or the environment.

Planning and helping implement end of lifemonitoring can be a learning experience for allstakeholders to increase understanding of potentialhealth or environmental risks in relation to futureland use options.


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Mitigation

IntroductionMitigation measures aim to remedy or compensatefor the predicted adverse impacts of the project onsite. Following impact evaluation, mitigationoptions can be developed within the framework ofthe hierarchy 'Avoid – Reduce – Remedy –Compensate'. Offset has similar aims but action toreduce or remedy harm is focused off site.Mitigation and offset measures should thereforeform part of the scoping, design and planningprocesses for cement operations. The EuropeanCommission (2000) provides useful advice on bestavailable techniques (BAT) for environmentalimpact minimization in the cement productionprocess.

MitigationMitigation is both a very important principle andpractice. It means that companies do their best toreduce, neutralize, and repair the impact of theiractivities on people and the natural environment.

All mitigation efforts should focus first on how toavoid social and environmental impacts in theinitial stages of planning. This has much greaterbeneficial effect than remedial action later.

Many social and environmental mitigationmeasures will be in response to legal requirements.However, in many situations companies will have abusiness case for going beyond compliance andwill want to demonstrate more advancedmitigation to meet stakeholder concerns, with longterm results and benefits.

Mitigation measures will include those plannedand implemented before, during and after startinga cement project. These measures should havegoals and targets set well in advance, and theextent to which these are being met should bemonitored on a regular basis.

Mitigation of social impactsSocial impacts relate to the health and safety notonly of human communities near to a site, but tothose which may be some distance from it. Forexample, the site could affect water supply whichcould impact on people and their livelihoods manymiles away from an operation who are relying onclean and potable water. This means that inplanning mitigating action, these watershed (andother spatial) issues must be taken into account.The close links between socio-economic andenvironmental contexts for mitigation proceduresare clearly demonstrated by this example.

Other health impacts of cement activities areassociated with atmospheric emissions (primarilydust, which can affect people's health directly) andimpacts on soil (which can affect people's ability togrow food).

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Community well being and environmentalintegration

The Italcementi Group Agadir cement plant wasbrought into service in 1952 with a modestcapacity of 60,000 tons per year, graduallyincreased to reach 1,000,000 tons today. Locatedin what was originally a rural area, the cementfactory became included in the ever expandingurban area. Since 1991, the cement factory has setup a significant program to improve the cementplant's environmental and social impact on theneighboring community. Actions taken include:

> Environmental integration of the cement plant

• Separation of the access way to the clay

quarry from the neighboring village bymeans of a new track and improvingaccess to the village itself

• Widening of the national road running

beside the cement plant and creation ofgreen and pedestrian areas

• Settlement of the slope behind the plant

and reclamation of the quarry overburden

• Improvement of aesthetic aspects of the

plant

• The plant management holds regular

meetings with the local authorities andpublic agencies and has signed severalagreements dealing with environmentalprotection, such as for the use of sludgefrom the water treatment station of ONEP(Office National de l'Eau Potable), with theVeterinary and Agricultural Institute for treeplanting, and with the Municipality ofAgadir, the Delegation for Teaching, andthe Regional Association for Tourism forburning plastic bags in the cement plantkilns.

> Potable water supply. For more than 50 yearsthe Agadir cement plant has been supplyingthe neighboring village with a daily amount ofpotable water that has reached 200 m3 per dayin the last ten years. To enlarge drinking wateravailability, Ciments du Maroc providedfinancial support for the construction of a4,000m3 capacity tank and 4,000m long watersupply pipes.

> Installation of a seawater desalination plant.

Given the problems of lack of water in theAgadir area, and in order to keep existingresources mainly for domestic use, Ciments duMaroc has built a 1,000m3 per day seawaterdesalination plant. It is expected that this plantwill be a model for developing this technique,which the area will certainly require in comingyears.

> Rural women integration and alphabetization

program. Since 1999, Ciments du Maroc ashelped create two tailoring training centers inpartnership with local authorities and NGOs.The centers promote the integration of ruralwomen into wider social life and havesponsored the Zakoura Foundation whichfunds some schools for the young peoplealphabetization program.

In considering mitigation strategies, assessmentsshould also be made of other impacts relating todisturbance, including noise levels and vibration,both of which can cause a range of healthproblems. In addition, there are issues of physicalrisk for members of the public with legal, or illegal,access to the site.


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Mitigation of environmentalimpactsThe principle of early advance planning andavoidance of problems (rather than dealing withproblems when they arise later) relates as much tothe alleviation of environmental as to socialimpacts, especially in relation to natureconservation. All companies have an over-riding responsibility toknow which land is formally protected underinternational frameworks such as the IUCN / WorldConservation Union's categories, other categoriesof regionally (e.g. under EU legislation) and locallyprotected sites, and increasingly under national orlocal Biodiversity Action Plans.

There is much debate on the legitimacy of landsubstitution as a mitigation measure. Landsubstitution involves allowing extraction on land ofhigh conservation value (e.g. species richgrassland, lowland tropical forest, or an areaimportant for large congregations of birds) forwhich a company has or seeks extraction rights, inexchange for the company releasing another areafor protection. The fundamental principle ofsubstitution is that there should be no net loss ofbiological value in terms of biodiversity andnumbers of wild animals and plants. This meansthat a mitigation strategy based on substitutionshould result in either a neutral, or positive,situation for biodiversity.

Mitigation banks represent another form ofsubstitution in which companies buy land to 'store'to offer in a future land substitution arrangementwith government or an NGO in the event that thecompany wants to develop a particular site. Again,the land held in the bank should be of equivalentor greater conservation value than that being usedfor development.

OffsetAn 'offset' is action taken outside, but near, adevelopment site to balance negative impacts. Thedevelopers may either take the action themselvesor pay for others to do it on their behalf.

While offsets are simple in concept, offset schemesmust be carefully designed to ensure their fullbeneficial potential is achieved in practice.

Principles for offsets

The Australian Environmental Protection Agencyhas developed some principles for environmental(or 'green') offsets:> Environmental impacts must be avoided first

by using all cost-effective prevention andmitigation measures. Offsets are then only usedto address remaining environmental impacts.

> All standard regulatory requirements must stillbe met.

> Offsets must never reward ongoing poorenvironmental performance.

> Offsets will complement other governmentprograms.

> Offsets must result in a net environmentalimprovement.

> Offsets must be:• enduring: they must offset the impact of the

development for the period that the impactoccurs

• quantifiable: the impacts and benefits mustbe reliably estimated

• targeted: they must offset the impacts on a'like for like or better' basis

• located appropriately: they must offset theimpact in the same area

• supplementary: beyond existingrequirements and not already being fundedunder another scheme

• enforceable: through development consentconditions, license conditions, covenants ora contract.

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Stakeholder involvement

IntroductionUnderstanding the needs and expectations ofstakeholders is a fundamental first step in workingeffectively with local communities, and with others,on issues affecting local communities. There aresome guiding principles for identifying andworking with stakeholders (outlined below), buteach local context is different, and each localcommunity will have different priorities andexpectations.

Stakeholders in the cement industry are all theindividuals and groups who see themselves aspotentially affected by, or who may affect, cementoperations at the local, national or internationalscale. These include, but are not limited to, localpublic and government authorities, neighbors,community organizations, employees, tradeunions, government agencies, the media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), contractors,suppliers and investors.

Stakeholder mapping can be a useful frameworkfor identifying who has an interest, and what theirconcerns may be. Primary stakeholders may beidentified as those on whom the project willimpact whether positively or negatively (primarilythe local communities which have land tenure andland rights) and those groups or organizations thatcan impact on the project. Indirect stakeholdersinclude those with specific interest in the project,those who have programs that relate to regionalplanning or improvement and those who haveconcerns in the issues at hand, such as pollution,landscape, biodiversity, etc. (See also “Stakeholdermapping p 9)

Why involve stakeholders?The beliefs and actions of stakeholders can have adirect impact on the operations of the cementfacility. Communicating with and involvingstakeholders is often required to ensure a stablerelationship between a plant and the adjacentcommunity. The more active a facility is ininvolving stakeholders and understanding theirconcerns, the more time a plant has to considerthis feedback in making critical decisions.

When communication and stakeholderinvolvement is nonexistent or reactive, the resultscan include long court battles, demonstrations ofprotest at the gates, boycotts, environmentaldamage and facility closures. An active approachleads to decision processes that generally proceedwith less difficulty and greater benefit for everyoneinvolved.In the experience of the cement industry,neighbors and other stakeholders respondpositively to citizen advisory or community liaisoncommittees, clarity of information, honestenvironmental reporting on performancemeasures, plant open days, pollution preventioninitiatives, and well-designed environmentalrestoration projects. Collaboration between thecommunity, regulators and industry improves bothfacility performance and living conditions for allinvolved.


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The costs of NOT involving stakeholders

Dr David Evans, Technical Manager from RMC’sRugby Cement unit in the UK, admits that a crisisresulted from making a decision to burn ahazardous secondary liquid fuel in the early 1990sat its plant in Barrington, near Cambridge, and notthoroughly discussing it with the community.

Rugby Cement did not anticipate the strength ofthe local reaction and therefore did not allocatesufficient resources in advance to consultation andcommunication. A 90-year good workingrelationship between the company andcommunity dissolved overnight. Dr Evansestimates that he spent the majority of two yearstrying to re-establish this relationship. The costs tothe company included his salary, countless time ofother staff to meet with a range of stakeholders,and the costs associated with hosting numerouspublic meetings, developing press releases andother media announcements.

One outcome from this effort was the creation of acommunity liaison committee that included thecitizens who were the most vociferous about thedecision to burn alternative fuels. The companyand regulators now use this committee as asounding board before making any majordecisions. After five years, trust has been re-established, and Dr Evans and his colleaguesbelieve they have learned a great deal from thisexperience.

There are costs associated with these activities.However, costs to the company can be evengreater if stakeholders take action against thecompany. Being aware of the issues andstakeholder concerns, and working to resolve themearly before they become negative actions, is timeand money well spent. More positively, ideas andsuggestions from stakeholders can often beinsightful and useful in improving a facility'splanning and operation. In this way, stakeholdersmay be seen as consultants to a company.

Community Advisory Panels

Holcim (US) Inc. established its first communityadvisory panel (CAP) ten years ago. It now leadsthe American cement industry in this area.

The Holly Hill plant in South Carolina provides agood example of a CAP in action. In 1994, a cross-section of community interests was invited tocome together to discuss key issues surroundingthe use of waste materials as fuel in the kiln. Theestablishment of the committee - its method ofoperation, decision-making processes, facilitationoptions, length of tenure and so on - was decidedby the committee members themselves. The panelprovides the company with valuable insights intothe concerns of the local community.

Six years on, the panel provided a perfectsounding board for Holcim US when a plantexpansion was proposed. It assisted withidentifying and understanding issues of concern tothe community, and provided a reality check forplant management as it sought wider support forits plans. The members of the panel in effect actedas ambassadors for the plant, and helped providea community base of support for the expansion.

These panels are a voluntary and proactiveinitiative, not required by any permitting process.Until recently, the program focused only on plantsusing alternative fuels and raw materials. However,the benefits of the process had encouraged HolcimUS to establish CAPs at all its cement plants by theend of 2002.

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Levels of communications withstakeholdersCommunications between cement companies andstakeholders can take many forms. TheInternational Association for Public Participationproposes five main levels of communication:Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate andEmpower. The Battelle / ERM Guidelines for thecement industry propose five similar levels ofcommunication, each leading to greater sharing ofinformation and better understanding ofstakeholders and their issues:> Ad hoc communication, which happens

whenever an opportunity occurs. In such cases,some information is transferred but theexchange is informal and the information notcomprehensive.

> One-way communication covers activities suchas distributing leaflets, letters or doingpresentations with no opportunity for questionsor discussion.

> Two-way communication involves an exchangeof information and ideas between stakeholdersand the company.

> Stakeholder involvement or stakeholder

dialogue is designed to develop betterunderstanding between the company andstakeholders, and can lead to knowledge beinggained by both. One major difference between stakeholderinvolvement and a conventional publicrelations campaign is the commitment from thecompany to consider and incorporate feedbackfrom stakeholders. That does not meanaccepting all stakeholder suggestions, but doesmean that stakeholders know that theirsuggestions have been thoughtfully heard andconsidered.

> Participatory or interactive decision-making

occurs when companies work collaborativelywith stakeholders to make decisions. Shareddecision-making is not appropriate in allcircumstances but can be effective in helping acompany design a plan that, whenimplemented, will be acceptable to itsstakeholders.

Principles of stakeholderinvolvementThe basic principles are:> Voluntary involvement. Everyone involved

should be committed to progress and fullparticipation.

> Openness, honesty, trust. Open and honestcommunication is a requirement for mutualtrust.

> Inclusiveness. Strive to include all interestedparties in some form of dialogue, recognizingthat the same methods and levels ofinvolvement will not be appropriate to allstakeholders.

> Common information base. Participants shouldhave access to the same information.

> Mutual learning. All parties, including the hostand stakeholders, should come to thediscussion with a willingness to learn.

> Creative options. A diverse set of stakeholderscan act as a catalyst for creative thinking.

> Collaboration in decision-making. Buildingownership is likely to increase the potential foreffective implementation and futurecollaboration.

> Co-ordination of stakeholder feedback. Beclear, and communicate, how you will usestakeholder feedback.

Developing positive communityrelationships

The RMC Rugby Cement Barrington cement workswere first developed at Barrington, UK in 1912 byDreadnought Portland Cement Co. Ltd and wereacquired by RMC Group plc in January 2000. Thesite operates one wet process kiln and one two-chamber mill. Predicted reserves at the on-sitequarry exceed 70 years in total, with 450,000-500,000 tonnes of raw material quarried annually.The population around the local area is a mix ofrural workers and academics. Before the 1990s, thelevel of acceptance of the facility was generallyhigh, but when the company introducedalternative fuels to replace fossil fuels, thecommunity protested. After initial communicationswere not successful, the community formed apressure group called Camair.

Over a period of time the company created aliaison committee (with government, company,


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community and pressure group members) and,after an initial confrontational meeting, the grouphas been working well and typically meetsquarterly. The plant is now actively involved in thelocal community: sponsoring local events; fundinga monitoring station for air quality control; andholding both site visits and one-on-one sessions ona range of issues. Meetings, particularly throughthe liaison group, are the key form of contact, andthere are also open houses, telephone calls, letters,public question and answer sessions, and thepublic register is also used to share information.

Environmental concerns were high on the agenda,particularly the large use of alternative fuels andresulting environmental consequences (e.g. airquality and environmental pollution).

Other environmental concerns related to theimpact of noise on the local community (as aresult of traffic activity on local roads), dustplumes, landscape restoration, the potential forwaste dumping in the quarry holes left post-extraction, and the detrimental aesthetic impact ofthe site on the landscape. Health issues remain aconcern.

The relationship has evolved from one ofconfrontation, characterized by a lack of trust,towards a much more open relationship. Thecompany has significantly developed itscommunication techniques to includeopportunities for local stakeholders to contributeto discussions and planning for the futuredevelopment of the facility. Overall, the currentsituation was felt to be preferable to experiences inthe past because the personal meetings gave thestakeholders the feeling that their views werebeing heard and responded to in a more personalcontext (even though sometimes belatedly).Community suggestions for the future includeimproving the quality of data presented, usingperformance indicators for comparing quantitativedata, and developing a website to allow for moredirect access to information.

Six steps to stakeholderinvolvementIn developing a general approach to stakeholderinvolvement, and a plan of action, it is essentialthat the company has a clear understanding of itsobjectives in working with stakeholders, has areasonable timescale for involvement, is preparedto find the necessary resources (including forindependent facilitators if appropriate), is willing towork with stakeholders to find mutually beneficialoutcomes, and is prepared to accept that even thebest engagement process may fail to achieveconsensus.

There are six basic steps in planning for stakeholderinvolvement:> Establish an involvement team and plan;> Identify the appropriate stakeholders (see above

and section 3.2 for stakeholder mapping);> Define the objectives / intent of the

involvement exercise;> Inform staff;> Involve stakeholders;> Respond to stakeholders, and feedback to the

main planning process.

Communication and stakeholder involvementshould be a continuous activity at facility level, andthen augmented during periods of change or crisiswhen major decisions are being considered.

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Appendix 1 - References

Scoping / Greenfield site assessment IntroductionFor screening refer to European Commission Guidance on EIA, Screening, June 2001:http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/eia/eia-guidelines/g-screening-full-text.pdf

For scoping refer to European Commission Guidance on EIA, Scoping, June 2001:http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/eia/eia-guidelines/g-scoping-full-text.pdf

Stakeholder mappingCommunication and Stakeholder Involvement. Guidebook for Cement Facilities. Battelle Memorial Instituteand Environmental Resources Management (ERM) Ltd. www.wbcsdcement.org

Asian Development Bank Environmental Assessment Guidelines, Technical Guidance, 2003http://www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Environmental_Assessment/eaguidelines010.asp

International Institute for Environment and Development, MMSD Working Papers, Developing NewApproaches for Stakeholder Engagement in the Mineral Sector, May 2002.http://www.icmm.com/publications/153mmsd_au_stakeholder.pdf

Land Usehttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/mmsd/global/finalreport/finalreport_07.pdf

Social analysisFor guidance on links between EIAs, social analysis, resettlement etc, see: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/37/27/1887708.pdfhttp://www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Environmental_Assessment/eaguidelines010.asp

Public healthHealth Impact Assessment Guidelines, enHealth Council, Australia, September 2001http://enhealth.nphp.gov.au/council/pubs/pdf/hia_guidelines.pdf

WHO (1999) Gothenburg Consensus Paper. WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Biodiversity and ecosystemsFramework for integrating biodiversity into site selection process. See www.theebi.org/products.html

Integrating Biodiversity and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Processes. The Energy andBiodiversity Initiative, www.theebi.org

The International Council on Mining and Minerals (ICMM) Task Force on Mining and Biodiversity work onbest practice principles and reporting criteria, www.icmm.com/html/biodiversity/php

Biodiversity: towards best practice for extraction and utility companies. Insight Investment consultationdocument for presentation to the World Parks Congress, September 2003.www.insightinvestment.com/responsibility/project/biodiversity.asp. IFC OP 4.04, November 1988http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/content/safeguardpolicieshttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/mmsd/topics/060_blench.pdfhttp://www.iied.org/docs/blg/issuepap5.pdfhttp://www.iied.org/mmsd_pdfs/062_phillips.pdf


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eferences

Cultural heritageWorld Bank Environmental Assessment Sourcebook, Update number 8, September 1994, Cultural Heritagein Environmental Assessment. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/

Alternatives, mitigation and offsetFor green offsets: New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation, Green Offsets forSustainable Developments. Environment Protection Authority, Australiahttp://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/greenoffsets/index.htm

Construction phaseGood Environmental Practice in the European Extractive Industry (A reference guide March 2000), by Dr F.Brodkom, Centre Terre et Pierre, Belgium.

Operations phaseWBCSD and IUCN (1997) Business and biodiversity: A guide for the private sector.

WWF. To dig or not to dig. A discussion paper for WWF.

The Energy & Biodiversity Initiative Integrating biodiversity into Environmental and Social ImpactAssessment processes.

IPIECA-OGP (2002), Report No. 2.85/332 Key questions in managing social issues in oil & gas projects.

Battelle (2002) Toward a sustainable cement industry – Summary report, WBCSD.

Battelle & ERM Ltd (2002) Communication and stakeholder involvement: Guidebook for cement facilities,WBCSD.

European Commission (2000) IPPC. Reference Document on Best Available Techniques in the Cement andLime Manufacturing Industries.

J. Vermeulen and T. Whitten (1999) Biodiversity and cultural property in the management of limestoneresources, World Bank.

Lafarge. Principle and know-how for quarry rehabilitation.

Lafarge and the Environment.

Shell International Exploration & Production B.V. (2003) Impact Assessment Guidelines - Social ImpactAssessment Module.

Murray G. Jones (2000) 'Environmental Impact Assessment Within a Multi-National Enterprise - AdaptiveEIA in the Camisea' in Sustainable Development and Integrated Appraisal in a Developing World, edited byN. Lee and C. Kirkpatrick. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK.

IIED and WBCSD (2002) Breaking New Ground, Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development – Thereport of the MMSD Project. Earthscan, London.IFC. Promoting Environmentally and Socially Responsible Private Sector Investment.

World Bank (1998) Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook.

World Bank (1991) Environmental Assessment Sourcebook.

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http://www.insighinvestment.com/responsibility/project/biodiversity.asphttp://www.nmfs/noaa.gov/sfa/social_impact_guide.htmhttp://www.forestsmonitor.org/reports/vanimo/summ.htmhttp://wwwbp.com/environ_social/social_respon/impact_assess/index.asphttp://www.nri.org.pg/Social.htmhttp://www.surveying.salford.ac.uk/bqtoolkit/tkpages/ass_meth/methods/amsia_4.htmlhttp://www.damsreport.org/docs/kbase/thematic/drafts/tr52_execsumm.pdfhttp://art.man.ac.uk/EIA/link.htmhttp://dmoz.org/Science/Environment/Impact_Assessment/http://www.ifc.org/enviro

Closure of site Introductionhttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/ea_decom.htmhttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/environm.htmhttp://www.iied.org/mmsd/mmsd_pdfs//044_cochilco.pdf

Rio Tinto (2004) Guidance Note for Social and Environmental Impact Assessment for Project Developmentin Rio Tinto

Rehabilitation and clean-uphttp://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/veg/pdfs/coal_mine_rehab.pdfhttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/ea/booklets/rehab/rehab1.pdfhttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/ea/booklets/rehab/rehab2.pdfhttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/ea_conta.htm http://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/ea_landf.htmhttp://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/Y2795E/y2759e03.htmhttp://mrn.gouv.qc.ca/english/publications/mines/environment/guianmin.pdf http://www.zeroenvironment.co.uk/dutch.htmhttp://www.health.state.nd.us/ndhd/environ/wm/pdf/USTguide8/pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/swerust1/pubs/tums.htmhttp://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/gp/3161e01.pdfhttp://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/pe_remediation.pdfhttp://www.ecan.govt.nz/Waste/pdf/tank.pdf

Future site usehttp://www.inventpa.com/docs/Document/application/pdf/5458ff8c-1c83-403b-bd5-a86f420b313f/IndustrialSitesReuse_guidelines.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/brownfields/http://www.contaminatedland.co.ukhttp://msha.gov/PLACES/PLACESHP.HTM

Community involvementhttp://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/pdf/gdlinetip2.pdfhttp://www.iplan.nsw.gov.au/engagement/intro.pring.jsphttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/ea/booklets/community/comm.pdfhttp://www.natural-resources.org/minerals/CD/docs/ea/booklets/workforce/work2.pdf

Jobshttp://Inweb18.worldbank.org.ESSD/sdvext.nsf/61ByDocName/MineClosureanditsImpactontheCommunityFiveYearsAfterMineClosureinRomaniaRussiaandUkraine/$FILE/SD+Paper+42+22-Jul-03.pdf


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http://www.mines.unsw.edu.au/publications/publications_staff/Paper_Laurence_RMG.pdfhttp://www.balay.net.ph/policy/downloads/displacement_and_resettlement.dochttp://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/37/27/1887708.pdfhttp://www.carleton.ca/cove/papers/Guidelines.rtfhttp://www.carleton.ca/cove/papers/Guidelines.rtf

Social structurehttp://Inweb18.worldbank.org.ESSD/sdvext.nsf/61ByDocName/MineClosureanditsImpactontheCommunityFiveYearsAfterMineClosureinRomaniaRussiaandUkraine/$FILE/SD+Paper+42+22-Jul-03.pdfhttp://www.mines.unsw.edu.au/publications/publications_staff/Paper_Laurence_RMG.pdfhttp://www.bhpbilliton.com/hsecReport/2003/caseStudies/cs_community27.htmlhttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/social_impact_guide.htmhttp://hydra.gsa.gov/pbs/pt/call-in/factshet/1098b/1098bfact.htm

Biodiversityhttp://www.iucn.org/ourwork/programme/paperjohnsontanner.pdf

Jaap Vermeulen and Tony Whitten. 1999. Biodiversity and Cultural Property in the Management of LimitedResources.: Lessons from East Asia. The World Bank, Washington. ISBN 0-8213-4508-7.

John Watson, Elery Hamiltan-Smith, David Gillieson and Kevin Kieran, (eds) (1997) Guidelines for Cave andKarst Protection. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.. ISBN 2-8317-0388-3

IUCN. 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge. ISBN 2-8317-0335-2

K.S. Walter and H.J. Gillet (eds). 1998. 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Complied by the WorldConservation Monitoring Centre. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. ISBN 2-8317-0328-X

End of Life Monitoringhttp://www.wrc.wa.gov.au/protect/policy/guidelines/G4_monitoring%20bores.pdfhttp://www.mineralresourcesforum.org/docs/Rehab/Pt2-2.dochttp://www.escarpment.org/leading_edge/LE99/le99_s4/zimmerman.pdfhttp://www.zeroenvironment.co.uk/dutch.htmhttp://www.affa.gov.au/corporate_docs/publications/pdf/nrm/water_reform/guidelines-for-groundwater-protection.pdfSection 7. Mitigation European Commission (2000) IPPC - Reference Document on Best Available Techniques in the Cement andLime Manufacturing Industries. European Commission, Brussels.

Section 8. Stakeholder engagementCSI Agenda for Action. http://www.wbcsdcement.org

Communication and Stakeholder Involvement. Guidebook for Cement Facilities. Battelle Memorial Instituteand Environmental Resource Management (ERM) Ltd.

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Appendix 2 - Glossary

Advisory panelUsually consists of selected individuals, chosen torepresent stakeholders, who meet periodically as agroup to assess results and advise on futureactivities.

Alternative fuels and raw materialsSecondary fuels or raw materials derived from by-products of other industrial processes whichprovide either energy or minerals for the cementmanufacturing process. Used to supplement orpreserve traditional fuels and raw materials.

BATBest Available Technologies / Techniques,including mitigation technologies which have beenevaluated by both external and internal experts asbest suited for the cement manufacturing process.Also an industry specific document produced inresponse to the EU's IPPC Directive.

BiodiversityThe number and variety of organisms found withina specified geographic region. Also defined as thevariability among living organisms on the earth,including the variability within and betweenspecies and within and between ecosystems.

Community involvement The act of involving the community (howeverdefined) in the decision making process in order toreach a desirable outcome which benefits both thecommunity and the company.

Cultural significanceThe World Bank's guidance on Cultural Heritage inEnvironmental Assessment defines 'culturalsignificance' as a concept in estimating the value ofa site. Sites that are likely to be significant are thosethat help our understanding of the past, or enrichthe present, and that will be of value to futuregenerations.Cultural significance can be assessed in differentways and with varying scope (see also Significanceassessment, below). The process may be informaland rapid or it may be a formal process thatrequires specialized expertise (such asarchaeologists, legal specialists, anthropologistsand botanists). It may deal with an individual site

or be part of a regional or local overview. Theappropriate level of detail will vary according tocircumstances, but is likely to include aestheticvalue, historic, scientific or research, social,economic and amenity value.

DecommissioningThe cessation of operations of a cementmanufacturing site. May include demolition andreclamation and/or redevelopment of the site.

Greenfield sitesAreas of land which have not previously beendeveloped beyond agricultural or forestry use.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA)HIAs seek to predict the health impact of a policy,program or project (including a development)usually before implementation, and ideally early inthe planning stage. They aim to facilitate thereduction or avoidance of negative impacts onhuman health and enhance the positive impacts.

KarstKarsts are specialized geological formations relatedto erosion and dissolution of carbonate mineralscontained in limestone and other sedimentaryrocks. Caves are the most well known karstfeatures. The term derives from the massivelimestone area on the border between Italy andSlovenia.

Major modificationsWorks, constructions, new equipment etc. thatgenerate significant changes in operations,emissions, etc.

Metric tonnesOne metric tonne = 1000kg.

MitigationMitigation means that companies do their best toreduce, neutralize, and repair the impacts of theiractivities on people and the natural environment.

MothballingMothballing is a process of temporarily shuttingdown a facility or certain equipment for financialand / or technical reasons


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OffsetAn offset is an action taken outside, but near, adevelopment site that reduces negative impacts.

Partial closure Closure of part of a site or operational equipment(e.g. closure of a cement kiln while milling andpackaging facilities are still in operation).

Reclamation To return disturbed areas to a stable conditionwhich does not create adverse environmentalimpact (e.g. returning disturbed quarry areas to adesignated post-mining land use as required bypermit).

Rehabilitation To return a degraded ecosystem to an un-degraded condition, but which may also bedifferent from its original one (EEA glossary).

Risk assessmentA technique to assess risk by analyzing thelikelihood or magnitude of an incident orcondition. Usually performed using a matrixanalysis linked to a level of response or action. Canbe used for risks to health and safety, environment,operations, reputation, or market condition. Inthese guidelines, use of this term does not implyany particular set of risk assessment processes.

ScopingScoping identifies which particular issues, theircontent and extent, should be covered in theenvironmental information submitted by thedeveloper to the competent authority within anESIA.

ScreeningThe screening stage is the process by which adecision is taken on whether or not an EIA / ESIA isrequired for a particular project.

Significance assessment The basis for determining any action to protectcultural sites as part of a site management plan. Itrequires in depth knowledge of art andarchitectural history, social history, and knowledgeof materials. There are usually many managementalternatives for any site and understanding itssignificance is a prerequisite for deciding on acourse of action. Adequate detail is also needed to

determine the best or most appropriate method ofconserving the cultural significance, as differentelements require different management strategies.See also Cultural significance, above.

StakeholdersStakeholders are people or institutions that feelthey may be affected by, or may affect, anorganization's activity.

TonnesSee Metric tonnes.

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IntroductionDifferent risks will need to be considered at thescoping, construction, operations and closurestages, and will also be different for the company(and contractors) and the local community. Asummary of the main potential risks for cementfacilities is given below.

Scoping stage / greenfield siteRisks for company / investigators:> Deposit investigation and design (e.g. nature of

deposits such as the amount of deposit and thegeographical/geological features that mayaffect the extractability of the deposit)

> Climate (e.g. high temperature and heavy rain)> Geographical feature and topography (e.g. risk

factors of cliffs and rivers)> Public security (e.g. war zone)> Well-being (e.g. incidents and diseases)> Epidemic diseases (e.g. local diseases and SARS)> Infrastructure (e.g. transportation,

accommodation, drinking water and supply offood).

Risks for local community (social issues):> Stakeholder involvement (e.g. communication

and agreement on investigation)> Location of the extraction site in relation to

local residential areas> Transportation route for the limestone in

relation to local residential areas> Conservation of historic issues that may affect

the site> Differences in various operating regulations

and standards affecting the site> Land use

> Fragmentation of indigenous peoples/cultures

and heritages

> Social structure (e.g. of the local community,local government policy and the politics andcustoms that may affect the proposedoperations)

> Local residential population characteristics

> Loss of livelihood and alternative land for living> Education.

Risks for local community (environmentalissues):> Biodiversity (e.g. flora and fauna in and around

the extraction site)> Landscape (e.g. conservation of visual aspects

especially as a result of the formation of acutting face)

> Requirements for site restoration.

Construction phaseRisks for company / contractors:> Public security (e.g. war zone)> Well-being (e.g. incidents and diseases)> Epidemic diseases (e.g. local diseases and SARS)> Infrastructure (e.g. transportation,


Risks for local community (social issues):> Stakeholder involvement (e.g. communications

with the local community and NGOs)> Local community (e.g. compensation

payments)> Local government policy (e.g. politics and

customs that may affect the proposedoperations)

> Transportation for the construction materials inrelation to local residential areas (e.g. trafficaccidents due to increase of traffic and airpollution)

> Friction among various kinds of worker fromoutside area (e.g. as a result of differentreligions, customs and cultures)

> Future long term employment afterconstruction

> Maintenance of local infrastructure such ashighways and sewage systems.

Risks for local community (environmentalissues):> Dust (e.g. from quarry operation and transport)> Vibration and fly rock from explosives> Water pollution due to the mine drainage or

waste oil> Noise from heavy machines> Landscape conservation

> Treatment of wastes from construction, soil ofoverburden and trees trimmed

> Other conservation matters such as flora andfauna restoration, specific geographicalfeatures, cultural (heritage) properties etc.


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Operations phaseRisks for company / contractors:> Public security (e.g. war zone)> Well-being (e.g. incidents and diseases)> Epidemic diseases (e.g. local diseases and SARS)> Infrastructure (e.g. transportation,


Risks for local community (social issues)> Stakeholder involvement (e.g. prevention of

pollution etc)> Social structure (e.g. deteriorating security due

to expanding gaps between rich and poor,including risks for the local community andlocal government policy)

> Well-being (e.g. local/public health care, safetyand health)

> Education (e.g. employees skill up and capacitybuilding for local community)

> Profile of local stakeholders, in particular localresidents

> Number of long term local residents who havetraditionally lived in the area

> Local residents who have relied on traditional

industries such as agriculture and fishing whichmay have decreased

> Development of local industries such as relatedcement and quarry business

> Disputes concerning ground rights ofindividuals

> Employment

> Water supply.

Risks for local community (environmentalissues):> Dust (e.g. from the cutting face, plant and

transport)> Vibration and fly rocks from explosives> Air pollution

> Soil pollution

> Visual aspects (e.g. landscape conservation)> Emissions (mainly from main stack of kiln) > Water pollution due to mine drainage or waste

oil> Noise from heavy machine and crushing plant> Falling stone/rocks from the edge of the cutting

face> Waste management (e.g. management of PCBs

and minimization of solid wastes)> Transportation

> Conservation matters (e.g. flora and faunarestoration, specific geographical features,cultural / heritage properties)

> Management of CO2 emissions

> Conservation of natural resources.

Site closureRisks for company:> Depletion of natural resources (investigations

into the next quarry site and acquisition of theland are likely to start before the current miningsite has been operating for ten years).

Risks for local community (social issues):> Stakeholder involvement

> Reuse of the site

> Local economic impact

> Employment (e.g. personnel relocation orsupport for substitution of local employment)

> Social structure

> Safety and health (e.g. restricted zone/ area,natural disaster preparedness).

Risks for local community (environmentalissues):> Biodiversity (e.g. preserving wild and rare

species of plants and the fauna, restoring thenatural flora and fauna in each backfilling area)

> Rehabilitation

> Monitoring of soil and underground water atthe site.

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Scoping phase / greenfield siteassess> Habitats, wildlife and biodiversity conservation.

Cemex, Mexico> Conserving ancient kilns. Lafarge China

Construction phase> Soil and overburden management. Holcim

(South Africa) Pty

Operations phase> School Center. Holcim's Colombian subsidiary > Local partnerships with Habitat for Humanity.

Lafarge Venezuela, Lafarge subsidiaries in SouthKorea and Lafarge Romcim (Romania)

> lant safety improved through cleanliness andlandscaping. Cantalgo, Lafarge Brazil

> Meeting community challenges onenvironmental impacts. RMC in Croatia

> Creating an ornithological observatory. Lafarge,Flicourt, France

> Energy recovery from rice husks. LafargeCement, Illigan, The Philippines

> Transportation of limestone from quarry toplant. Limestone Association of Japan

> Quarry reforestation with fruit-bearing trees.Cemex Espana (Spain)

Closure of site> Community involvement in future site use,

RMC subsidiary Rugby Cement, UK> Rehabilitation of cement quarry, Holcim

Polpaico, Chile> Responsible restructuring, Holcim Lanka, Sri

Lanka

Mitigation> Community well-being and environmental

integration of a plant. Italcementi Group,Agadir

Stakeholder involvement> The costs of NOT involving stakeholder, RMC

subsidiary Rugby Cement, UK> Community Advisory Panels, Holcim (US) Inc> Developing positive community relationships,

RMC subsidiary Rugby Cement, UK

Appendix 4 - List of casestudies

1 Percentage of sites with communityengagement plans in place

2 Percentage of active sites with quarryrehabilitation plans in place

3 Number of active sites where biodiversity issuesare addressed


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Ash Grove, USAMr. Fran Streiman

CEMEX, MexicoMr. Luis Morales Bustamente

Cimpor, PortugalMr. Rodrigo Fonseca

Corporación Uniland, SpainMr. Hamed Bessadd

CRH plc, IrelandMr. Stefan Lindfors

HeidelbergCement, GermanyMr. Gerhard Friedel

Holcim, SwitzerlandMr. Albert Tien

Italcementi, ItalyMr. Roberto Babich

Hercules (Lafarge), GreeceMrs. Vicky Gazideli

Taiheiyo Cement Company, JapanMr. Yoshito IzumiMr. Hiroki Tsumura

Appendix 6 - Membership of CSItask force 5 on local impacts onland and communities

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Appendix 7 - The CementSustainability Initiative

The Cement Sustainability Initiative is a member-sponsored program of the World Business Councilfor Sustainable Development (WBCSD). It wasstarted by a small group of cement companies in1999. This small group quickly grew as othercement companies recognized the importance ofthese questions and the value answers might havein shaping their individual business strategies.

Today 16 companies are involved in the CSI.Individual companies themselves operate in manycountries and consequently the geographic reachof the Initiative today covers more than 70countries around the globe. Together thesecompanies represent more than half the world’scement production capacity outside of China.

In 2002, the Initiative commissioned independentresearch to evaluate the current performance of theindustry against the major sustainability issues itfaced. The research was carried out by the BattelleMemorial Institute, a non-profit researchorganization in the US, under contract to theWBCSD. The research was supported by a series offacilitated stakeholder dialogues in seven cities(Cairo, Curitiba, Bangkok, Lisbon, Brussels,Washington DC, and Beijing). This initial researchand consultation produced a set of independentrecommendations for improving performance. Inresponse to these recommendations, the CSIsponsoring companies developed an industryAgenda for Action to address the issues raised.These issues fell into six major areas:

> Climate protection: How can the industryunderstand and manage the significant CO2emissions resulting from cement production?

> Responsible use of fuels and raw materials: Canthe industry use different fuels and rawmaterials to improve its resource efficiency andreduce its impacts on natural resources? Whatconditions are necessary to do so?

> Improving employee health and safety: Howcan the industry improve its safety record andreduce the number of injuries and fatalitiesoccurring in its operations?

> Emissions monitoring and reporting: Mostemissions from cement facilities are airbornepollutants. Around the world differentregulatory regimes require monitoring differentsets of pollutants. What needs to be measuredand reported? What do local stakeholders wantto know about?

> Local impacts on land and communities:Impacts from quarrying and cement plants arelarge and visible. How can these be properlyassessed in the project planning phase, andmanaged during operations and after closure?

> Communications and progress reporting: Howcan the industry communicate more effectivelywith key stakeholders?

The Agenda for Action was published in July 2002,and in September 2002 the World Summit forSustainable Development recognized the CSI as aneffective Type II Partnership. Summary materials ofthe project are now available in nine languages.These and all other project documentationproduced through early 2003 are available on aCD-rom through Earthprint, www.earthprint.com/as well as on the project website:www.wbcsdcement.org.

Current status of the CSIThe CSI is now taking forward the Agenda forAction. Six Task Forces, each chaired by one ormore of the CSI member cement companies, aredeveloping materials to address the six major areasnoted above, primarily in the form of good practiceguidelines and procedures to be used by all CSIcompanies at their operating facilities. Thesematerials will also be made available on aworldwide basis for other cement companies,should they choose to use them.

The Task Forces are committed to carrying outactive stakeholder consultations and partnershipsto develop a robust and useful set of guidelinematerials and implementation tools. WBCSDorganized a facilitated stakeholder dialogue todiscuss the guideline development in Brussels inNovember 2003, and some NGOs have providedadditional expertise to specific Task Forces byinvitation.

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About the WBCSDThe World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a coalition of 175 internationalcompanies united by a shared commitment to sustainable development via the three pillars of economicgrowth, ecological balance and social progress. Our members are drawn from more than 35 countries and20 major industrial sectors. We also benefit from a global network of 50 national and regional businesscouncils and partner organizations involving some 1,000 business leaders.

Our missionTo provide business leadership as a catalyst for change toward sustainable development, and to promotethe role of eco-efficiency, innovation and corporate social responsibility.

Our aimsOur objectives and strategic directions, based on this dedication, include:

> Business leadership: to be the leading business advocate on issues connected with sustainabledevelopment

> Policy development: to participate in policy development in order to create a framework that allowsbusiness to contribute effectively to sustainable development

> Best practice: to demonstrate business progress in environmental and resource management andcorporate social responsibility and to share leading-edge practices among our members

> Global outreach: to contribute to a sustainable future for developing nations and nations in transition

Ordering publicationsWBCSD, c/o Earthprint LimitedTel: (44 1438) 748111 Fax: (44 1438) 748844 [email protected]

Publications are available at: www.wbcsd.org www.earthprint.com

DisclaimerThis report is released in the name of the WBCSD. Itis the result of a collaborative effort by members ofthe secretariat and executives from several membercompanies participating in the CementSustainability Initiative (CSI). Drafts were reviewedamong CSI members, so ensuring that thedocument broadly represents the majority view ofthis group. This does not mean, however, thatevery member company agrees with every word.

Layout: Estelle GeisingerCopyright: © WBCSD, April 2005ISBN: 2-940240-78-7

52 4, chemin de Conches Tel: (41 22) 839 31 00 E-mail: [email protected] - 1231 Conches-Geneva Fax: (41 22) 839 31 31 Web: www.wbcsd.orgSwitzerland

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