Asia Cement Corporation Multiplexes and Evolves Carbon footprint into Green Footprint

        The "Sustainable Wave" has sparked waves of industrial innovation worldwide in recent years, with all industries actively seeking greener business models. However, for Asia Cement Corporation, the "three highs and one low" (high efficiency, high quality, high environmental protection, and low energy consumption) were originally the DNA of the enterprise. After more than a year of research and development and evolution, it has now become the leader in this sustainable battle.

        New benchmark for carbon reduction and entrepreneurship

                After the United Nations proposed the Sustainability Development goal in 2015, it continued to receive responses from governments, businesses, and civil society organizations around the world. At present, the carbon reduction measures of the international cement industry, such as the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), the Portland Cement Association (PCA), and the European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU), can be roughly summarized as the "5C" strategy, which aims to save on clinker and cement production, improve concrete production, design and construction efficiency, And re carbonation reaction.

        In fact, the above direction coincides with Asia Cement Corporation's long-standing business philosophy of "three highs and one low" (high efficiency, high quality, high environmental protection, and low energy consumption). For over sixty years, Asia Cement Corporation has invested a considerable amount of effort in reducing raw material and fuel consumption, launching various low-carbon cement products and exclusively developing and producing low-carbon plastered cement. Compared to ordinary cement, it can not only reduce the consumption of 5% natural raw materials and 18% coal, but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17%.

        Given the intensification of climate change in recent years, Asia Cement Corporation has formulated a series of net zero blueprints and set timelines and goals to implement them one by one. On the one hand, the first set of cement kiln waste heat recovery and power generation equipment has been completed, and on the other hand, high-temperature rotary kilns have been utilized as the driving force for promoting recycled economy. It is worth mentioning that the recycled economy of Asia Cement Corporation is sourced from waste and resource-based products produced by government departments and industries such as steel, petrochemical, stone, photoelectric, paper making, textile and construction. For example, Hualian Factory assists the Hualien County Government in converting sewage sludge into biofuel, helping to remove the residue after waste incineration Assist Environmental Protection Administration in removing refrigerants, etc; Between 2019 and 2022, a total of approximately 1.92 million tons of various waste or resource products were used as alternative raw materials and fuels to ensure sustainable resource recovery and recycling. Last year, the implementation of the recycled economy reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 114000 metric tons, equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of 296 Da'an forests.

        At the same time, Asia Cement Corporation is also the first cement company in Taiwan to conduct a complete inventory of Carbon footprint from raw materials, manufacturing processes to products. In the future, it will continue to promote the construction and research of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) infrastructure, and after 2030, it will fully implement the new carbon reduction technology scheme, together with the sustainable development of recycled economy and low-carbon cement development strategy, in order to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

        Strengthening the resilience of the Earth through collective efforts

        In order to expand the sustainable influence of the enterprise, Asia Cement Corporation responded specifically to the "1+N Large Belt Small Carbon Management Plan" initiated by the Taiwan Comprehensive Research Institute, a consortium entity, this year. It called on subsidiaries and important customers such as Ya Tung Ready Mixed Concrete Corporation, Ya Li Precast Pressed Concrete Industries Corporation, and Zhentian Cement Products to participate in the company's carbon inventory production and energy-saving guidance, To understand their own emission hotspots and work together to reduce carbon emissions; The "Efficient Carbon Fixation Technology Research Program", a collaboration between Asia Cement Corporation and Industrial Technology Research Institute, was also launched this year. It utilizes carbon capture technology to generate negative carbon particles, and collaborates with downstream concrete and product manufacturers to produce low-carbon products, achieving the effect of reducing carbon emissions and multiplying the industrial chain.

                Not only that, the sustainable genes have also been passed down to the other side of the strait as Asia Cement Corporation expands its corporate landscape. Asia Cement Corporation (China) has long participated in energy-saving and carbon reduction forums organized by the China Building Materials Federation, China Cement Association, China Cement Network, and other organizations to obtain the latest technological information in the industry and provide solid technical support for formulating the company's cost reduction, efficiency increase, energy-saving and carbon reduction, and sustainability development measures. At the same time, monthly review and optimize the carbon reduction measures of various companies under the company to effectively control carbon emissions. At present, various factories have achieved carbon peak and are actively promoting various carbon neutrality measures, including: collaborative disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste in cement kilns; Use biomass Alternative fuel to replace part of coal to reduce carbon emissions; Using various industrial waste residues to produce cement and achieving comprehensive resource utilization; Add limestone into Construction waste, grind it into construction slag powder, and configure it into high and low grade cement. In addition to carbon reduction, it can also reduce costs; Renovation of production equipment, control of clinker and cement energy consumption in accordance with the third level indicators specified by the government GB16780, and emission of pollutants from cement kilns in accordance with the regulations of the competent authority, and continuous renovation and optimization to further achieve higher indicators.

        In addition, Asia Cement Corporation (China) has also accelerated the research and development of using steel slag grinding ultrafine powder to adsorb CO2 and reduce carbon emissions, adding cement and concrete to extend its durability and service life. While ensuring the excellent and stable quality of various types of cement, it saves the proportion of clinker in cement and reduces the carbon emission intensity of cement, in response to the upcoming national cement industry carbon market trading. Additionally, it has developed in gas furnaces, Biomass Alternative fuel is used to provide hot gas to the grinding station to reduce cost and carbon.

        In May of this year, the intelligent mining building of Jiangxi Yadong Cement was officially put into use, and in the future, it will continue to improve the functions of the energy management center, assist cement companies in optimizing production system operation, saving product energy consumption, avoiding peak electricity consumption to save electricity bills, and change the limestone mining trucks in its three mines to intelligent unmanned driving, saving manpower and costs.

        Protecting the Ecology and Bringing Green to Mines

                In the face of the threat of climate change, in addition to "slowing down" carbon emissions, "adaptation" and "enhancing resilience" are also important components. Since its establishment, Asia Cement Corporation has attached great importance to the greening and ecological conservation of mines. Hualien Factory is known as the "factory in the forest". The five mines under Jiangxi Yadong Cement and the three mines under Huanggang Yadong Cement have also obtained provincial or national green mine certification. In recent years, Asia Cement Corporation has followed the United Nations and local sustainability development goals (SDGs), cooperated with the framework of the National Biodiversity Report, promoted diversified measures, and protected the biodiversity of mines and parks.

        Taking Hualien Factory as an example, in order to achieve the three goals of "minimizing and mitigating environmental impacts", "gradual and final restoration of mining sites", and "measures to enhance biodiversity in remote areas", Asia Cement Corporation adopts vegetation greening technology imitating natural afforestation methods in mining area ecosystem restoration, replanting native tree species, forming a forest ecosystem, and gradually restoring the biological habitat environment, And establish basic monitoring data for ecological investigation of biodiversity; In terms of off-site conservation in the park, we not only promote greening in the factory area, but also establish a 1 hectare native plant park around the factory area, widely planting Taiwanese native tree species, and forming a small forest ecosystem; Establish a butterfly park to promote the creation of butterfly habitats throughout Taiwan, forming a Taiwan butterfly corridor. Based on the bamboo knot insect park, actively carry out investigations, research, restoration, and various promotion and education of native bamboo knot insects in Taiwan; At the same time, we will promote the achievements and achievements of promoting biodiversity in mining areas, parks, and factories to universities, primary and secondary schools, communities, and tribes, and then combine with citizen scientists to jointly promote various types of biodiversity conservation education and actions.

        Integrating technical force, digital force and executive force, from low-carbon production, recycled economy to ecological conservation, Asia Cement Corporation is making continuous efforts on the road of Sustainability Development to transform the Carbon footprint into a green footprint, which not only builds the resilience of the enterprise, but also improves the resilience of the earth, vowing to win the final victory in this "zero carbon time limited war"!

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