SOUTH WALES: CEMEX UK is the first national building products company to achieve the Green Dragon Environmental Standard, for the environmental management systems incorporated at its block works factory at Newport.

Green Dragon recognises effective environmental management and is a new environmental standard available to companies in Wales.

The Newport Block factory manufactures a range of over 30 products including brick s and blocks in a variety of colours and strengths and has achieved Level Two of this prestigious award.  The award, which is becoming increasingly important in Wales, is similar to ISO 14001 which the factory achieved in 2009.

The award focuses on reducing energy usage, improving the efficiency of operations and complying with environmental legislation. Level Two also requires a register of legal requirements associated with production, emergency preparedness and maintenance of environmental records.

Measures that have been introduced at Newport to produce a more sustainable product include harvesting the rain water, curing all the blocks naturally, the use of 10% of aggregates in its dense blocks come from recycled sources, saving valuable virgin aggregates and 100% of the lightweight aggregate is PFA (pulverised fuel ash), a by-product from the power industry.

“The Green Dragon award highlights our environmental credentials to our employees, customers and stakeholders.  Accountability is increasingly part of our licence to operate, and sustainable and responsible business practices are vital for our built environment,” commented Miranda Clegg, South Wales regional environment manager.

“Newport manufactures enough blocks every year to construct approximately 3000 average-sized houses. The award and the measures put in place offers our customers such as builders merchants, and our customers’ customers reassurance about the sustainable production of our blocks,” Ms Clegg concluded.

The Green Dragon award is becoming increasingly important in Wales, demonstrated by the calibre of the organisations that have also achieved it including the National Assembly for Wales, South Wales Fire and Rescue and the National Trust Wales.