Cemex and waste management company, Silverwoods, are successfully supporting the circular economy by utilising By-Pass Dust (BPD) from the Cemex Rugby cement kiln for agricultural purposes. Since 2015, nearly 130,000 tonnes of BPD has been recovered through the partnership.

BPD is ideal for use on farmland due to its high potassium and lime content meaning it can provide a direct sustainable replacement for traditional fertilisers and lime.

Additionally, by re-using BPD, Cemex has been able to dramatically reduce the amount of process by-product it landfills; this figure is now zero.

Contributing to the circular economy is a key pillar of Cemex’s climate action strategy Future in Action, which has set a global target to become a net zero company by 2050. In addition, recovering BPD supports Cemex’s 2030 target to increase the ratio of waste derived sources managed versus waste sent for disposal.

Paul Fletcher, Head of Sustainability for Cemex Europe, commented: “We are very proud of our partnership with Silverwoods and the considerable positive impact their innovation and expertise has had on our ability to reuse BPD for other applications. We believe it leads the way in our industry and presents real potential to be adapted elsewhere across our operation; not only does it benefit the environment by reducing the amount of materials that need to be disposed of, but it generates a product that has a value for farmers and helps cut the use of traditional materials.

“Indeed, the value of this partnership demonstrates that to deliver true circularity, more industrial by-products, including those from different sectors of the economy, need to be used as secondary resources, rather than primarily be seen as waste. If this is to be achieved, a new perspective is needed to boost circular economy practices, with regulations and permitting supporting this proactively.”

Read the full press release here.