National Forum
In July 2005, the cement industry held a national stakeholder
forum, arranged in partnership with Forum for the Future, in order
to provide stakeholders with a clear opportunity to engage with the
industry. The forum has since become an annual event, with a
further event held in June 2006 and one planned for summer
2007. An outcome of the 2006 forum, which included workshops
on targeted sustainable issues, was an undertaking by the BCA to
increase engagement on health issues associated with emissions of
co-incineration from cement manufacture. To take matters
forward, the BCA has established an Industry Stakeholders Steering
Group on Health Issues, which will consider the development of a
proposal to submit to government during 2007
Local Engagement
Underpinning events at national level are regular local
initiatives. Such engagements are typified by meetings with
the Environment Agency, open days where people may see how a cement
plant works, regular liaison with local groups in respect of site
specific activities and newsletters for distribution to local
communities. In 2008, BCA members will participate in an EU
industry-wide cement open day.
Key Messages
Since November 2005, the BCA has adopted a range of initiatives
aimed at improving its external communication on
sustainability. The cement industry has produced a 'key
messages card' on sustainability, which has been widely welcomed
and provided to all the industry's key stakeholders.
Reputation Audit
A key initiative in developing further the industry's
communications and relations with key stakeholders will be a second
reputation audit to be carried out in the first half of 2007.
This will build on the initial audit conducted in 2003.
The results of the 2007 audit, which will be reported in
Performance, are likely to provide an indication of the
progress the BCA has made in communications with key stakeholders
over the last few years and highlight where further effort may be
required.
Education Material
The BCA has developed information about the co-existence and
inter-dependence of the industry, society and the environment in
the world in which we live. The material is suitable for use
in schools for lessons with 7-11 year-olds and will enable teachers
to educate pupils about science, nature, the local environment and
industry. To access the material click here.
Website
To improve communications on sustainability and wider access to
industry related information, the BCA has redesigned the
cement industry website. This updated site, launched in
June 2007, should enable more rapid access to information on
sustainable development targeted at defined audiences (e.g. cement
and concrete users, scholls, media, general public,
researchers).
The BCA is continuing to promote cement and concrete as the
material of choice for sustainable development, highlighting
concrete's adaptability to future climates, its durability, natural
fire resistance and acoustic performance.