The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2023 is pleased to honor 78 outstanding business leaders and enterprises for championing sustainable and responsible business practices. Presented by leading regional NGO Enterprise Asia, the AREA is the most reputable award recognition program recognizing organizational efforts in creating a culture of compassion, integrity, and in being socially responsible corporate citizens. The AREA serves as a badge of excellence to spur further innovation and best-practice for sharing about the organization and the world at large.
Asia Cement Corporation (ACC) was among the recipients who were conferred with the Green Leadership Award. Responding to the Taiwan government’s second four-year economic development plan, Asia Cement Corporation (ACC) was founded on March 21, 1957, by Mr. Y.Z. Hsu, and its “Skyscraper” brand cement has always occupied the core position in Taiwan’s cement business.
ACC passed the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) target setting, and the carbon reduction target, and it currently has a world-class ranking. The company actively promotes a circular economy by exclusively developing low-carbon cement in order to fulfill the promise of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.
ACC passed the SBTi target setting, becoming the fourth cement company globally to achieve its set carbon reduction target – a response to the call for global climate temperature control. ACC plans to achieve the Net Zero emissions target by 2050. The company intends to achieve this through various methods such as utilizing alternative materials and, reducing the proportion of clinker (development of new low-carbon cementitious materials), reducing indirect emissions[鄒政翰1] from imported electricity, implementing carbon capture and the reuse of CCU, etc.
To achieve its Net Zero target, ACC has adopted five strategies to tackle this issue. The company has also planned KPIs and short-, mid-, and long-term goals for reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050.
These strategies include utilizing alternative raw materials and alternative fuel sources and reducing the ratio of clinkers. The latter will be done by developing new low carbon bond materials, such as masonry cement and low ratio limestone cement in the short-term, high ratio limestone cement and blended hydraulic cement in the mid-term, and limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) in the long-term, to reduce the ratio of clinker in cement.
Other methods include initiatives to reduce indirect emissions by continuing to improve manufacturing processes and equipment and work towards carbon capture and use (CCU) technology. In 2022, the actual emission intensity of Scope 1+2 is 0.839, the emission intensity reached the SBTi target value (0.842), and the absolute carbon reduction compared to the base year was 107,455 tons of CO₂ emissions.
ACC’s Portland-limestone cement (PLC) is not just supplied to customers in the United States, but also marketed in Taiwan to accelerate the pace of carbon reduction. In 2022, ACC achieved the sale of 210,000 tons of PLC products, and it plans to continue expanding its marketing in the future in order to stride forward to reach the goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050.
In addition to providing good quality products and ease of construction, ACC is able to offer the benefit of reducing the consumption of natural resources, saving energy, and reducing carbon emissions.
ACC currently works with local universities and research institutes to study how to separate and purify CO₂ captured in the stack and further liquefy it for transport or reuse the materials. Mr. Chang, Executive Director & Chief Technical Officer, stressed that “We will integrate with Ya Tung Ready-mixed Concrete in the future to form a low carbon value industrial chain and to commercialize for applications at the same time”.
[鄒政翰1]indirect emissions from imported electricity.
About Enterprise Asia
Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in the pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive economic and social development. Please visit https://www.enterpriseasia.org/ for more information.
About Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards
With a presence across 19 countries and markets, the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards is the region’s most prestigious award recognition program for organizational efforts in creating a culture of compassion, and integrity and in being socially responsible corporate citizens. For more information, visit enterpriseasia.org/area.