Fernando A. González, CEO of Cemex, has been elected as the new President of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). The GCCA’s members account for 80% of global cement production capacity outside of China and have committed to achieving Net Zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
Mr. González, who has served as GCCA Vice-President since 2018, succeeds outgoing GCCA President Jan Jenisch. Mr. González has been CEO of Cemex since 2014; he joined the company in 1989 and has led several operational regions and corporate functions throughout his career.
“It is a great honor to be President of the GCCA, particularly as we enter this ‘decade to deliver,’
a period during which we must accelerate our decarbonization efforts,” said Fernando A.
González. “
My number one priority as the new President of the GCCA is to collaborate closely with governments and industry to evolve the regulatory framework in ways that promote a more circular, lower-carbon economy.”
The priorities for Mr. González during his two-year term include:
• Encouraging regulation that diverts municipal and industrial waste from landfills to waste to energy solutions including substitution of fossil fuels in cement kilns.
• Promoting building codes and norms that allow the extensive adoption of lower-carbon cement and concrete products.
• Establishing market-driving carbon pricing mechanisms that incentivize decarbonization and investment in carbon reduction technologies.
• Seek funding and alliances to develop new technologies that reduce carbon emissions in the cement manufacturing process and accelerate the development and scaling of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies.
Mr. González recently spoke at the United Nations General Assembly’s Private Sector Forum and urged the public and private sectors to collaborate more closely to develop the regulatory ecosystem so that the cement industry can reach its full potential as a contributor to a carbon neutral society.
About Cemex
Cemex is a global construction materials company that is building a better future through sustainable products and solutions. Cemex is committed to achieving carbon neutrality through relentless innovation and industry-leading research and development. Cemex is at the forefront of the circular economy in the construction value chain and is pioneering ways to increase the use of waste and residues as alternative raw materials and fuels in its operations with the help of new technologies. Cemex offers cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and urbanization solutions in growing markets around the world, powered by multinational workforce focused on providing a superior customer experience enabled by digital technologies.
For more information, please visit: www.cemex.com
About the GCCA
The GCCA and its members account for 80% of global cement production capacity outside of China, as well as a growing number of Chinese manufacturers. Member companies have committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating CO2 emissions in concrete, which currently account for around 7% globally, through the implementation of the GCCA’s Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap – the first heavy industry to set out such a detailed plan.
