SKOKIE, Ill. – On April 29, 2008, the Lafarge North America Inc., cement plant in Sugar Creek, Mo., received the Outreach and Innovation Awards from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Cement Americas magazine as part of the 2008 Cement Industry Energy and Environment Awards, honoring sustainable manufacturing practices.

The award was presented at PCA’s Spring Meeting in Chicago.

The Outreach Award recognizes facilities that strive to enhance community, employee, and government relations through innovative communications and programs.

The Lafarge Sugar Creek facility has an inclusive environmental program that reaches students, business owners, elected officials, and more. In 2007, the plant joined the Greater Kansas City Climate Protection Partnership.  Coordinated by the area Chamber of Commerce, the group supports economic competitiveness and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.  Additionally, Lafarge continuously strives to participate in the life of its local communities, taking part in everything from Independence Day parades to teaching environmental units at local high schools to sponsoring Earth Day activities for the community.

The Lafarge plant also received the Innovation Award.  This honor recognizes cement industry leaders in the development and application of innovation technologies and techniques relevant to environmental protection or energy efficiency.  In 2007, the Lafarge Sugar Creek plant commissioned an alternative fuels processing facility that will store, shred, and weigh various industrial byproducts, which will be pneumatically fed, into the kiln preheater tower. The plant expects to replace 40 percent of the required fossil fuels with industrial byproducts such as rubber, plastics, cellulose, and textiles. The plant also successfully utilizes landfill gas; in 2007, more than 1.2 million standard cubic feet of gas was used from an adjacent municipal landfill, resulting in a reduction of more than 11,000 tons of carbon dioxide. It is the only cement plant in the U.S. using landfill gas.

In addition to accepting these high honors, PCA recognized the plant as a runner-up for Overall Environmental Excellence, a special honor presented to plants demonstrating merit in multiple categories and as a runner-up in the Environmental Performance category.

“Cement companies take very seriously their responsibilities to towns where their employees and customers live,” said Brian McCarthy, PCA president/CEO. “The awards program recognizes these ongoing efforts to continuously challenge manufacturing policies and procedures to minimize our environmental footprint.”

History of the Awards
The awards program was created in 2000 by the Portland Cement Association as part of its renewed environment and energy strategic plan for the U.S. cement industry.  PCA and Cement Americas magazine presented the first Cement Industry Environmental Awards in 2002 to the winners for 2001.  The awards honor activities conducted during the previous calendar year, and the program is open to any cement manufacturing plant in North America.  Judges for the awards represent independent groups such as Cement Americas magazine, the Cement Association of Canada, World Resources Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Wildlife Fund.

About PCA
Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.