An important part of our sustainable development strategy is our ecoefficiency program.
For us, ecoefficiency means reducing our environmental impact and producing economic and ecological benefits by optimizing our energy and raw-material usage. Established in 1994, our ecoefficiency program leverages our people's technical experience and ability to capitalize on opportunities that foster our profitability and sustainable development.

Important economic benefits
Since its inception, our ecoefficiency program's estimated economic benefits total more than US$75 million by:

• Developing and implementing innovative practices and technology in our production processes and new cement plant design
• Using selective mining techniques
• Recycling and reusing materials
• Using alternative raw materials like blast furnace slag and fly ash, byproducts generated from steel manufacturing and power stations, among others
• Using natural cementing materials such as pozzolana, a volcanic substance
• Using alternative fuels and reusing waste materials, including petroleum coke (pet coke), waste oils, and used solvents