Sustainability Indeed , the progress towards a lower-carbon concrete was part of the company ’ s broader sustainability journey . In 1994 , AfriSam was the first cement company to publish an environmental policy . In 2009 , it was a pioneer in the cement sector through introducing a carbon dioxide rating system , which allowed customers to see the carbon footprint of each of its cement products relative to Ordinary Portland Cement ( OPC ). In 2012 , it was also the first cement company to pledge support to Eskom ’ s campaign to improve energy efficiency .
AfriSam ’ s readymix plants have strict re-use and recycling processes and must recycle most of their grey water generated on-site ; the mixing water at some plants is now 100 % recycled . When concrete is over-ordered and is sent back to the plant , this can also be recycled to prevent wastage . It is placed at designated areas within the readymix facility , so that it can be reused in concrete or certain other aggregate products . To prevent any possible spillage of concrete onto the road during transportation to site , the company covers the chutes of its readymix trucks .
Expert Service The extended slump in the construction sector has been accompanied by an industry-wide loss of skills over the past 15 years . Many large contractors have right sized , leaving them with fewer in-house resources , including technical skills and concrete technologists . AfriSam has been able to step into this space , leveraging its depth of expertise by supporting customers with highly specialised skills and services related to cement , concrete and aggregate choices .
The company has prioritised its expertise in the face of challenging economic times and other disruptions – holding true to the philosophy that economies can recover from considerable stagnation if there remains a core of critical skills for infrastructure development .
This includes creating opportunities for communities to build livelihoods , especially in a country like South Africa which experiences such severe housing shortages . While working with the largest contractors , AfriSam therefore also provides cost effective products suited for the smaller residential builder – such as its quality Starmix readymix solution which can be ordered in small quantities .
The company has a dedicated Durability Laboratory at its Centre of Product Excellence
AfriSam ’ s readymix plants have strict water re-use and recycling processes
Maintaining Capability As a leading construction materials supplier in the region , the company ’ s operations in South Africa , Lesotho and Eswatini are driven by a workforce of about 1,300 permanent , contract and learner employees . It has two fully integrated cement plants in South Africa , a milling plant with blending and packing facilities and five blending plants – with three of these in South Africa and one each in Lesotho and Eswatini . It also has a slag grinding plant , 19 readymix plants and 12 aggregate quarries . This gives it the capacity to produce 4,5 million tons of cement , 800 000 tons of slagment , over 5 million tons of aggregate and 1,5 million cubic metres of readymix concrete each year .
A critical aspect of maintaining its capability is the development of new skills , and this includes attracting the best minds into the company and the industry . It shares its knowledge of construction materials with new entrants such as engineering students at universities – who they help to introduce to the world of concrete , cement and other construction materials . Where possible , AfriSam encourages and supports universitylevel research , to foster technology development in a range of related fields .
Community Social responsibility remains an important feature of the company ’ s history and future . Recognising that sport has always been central to social cohesion , AfriSam was historically a sponsor of the popular Orlando Pirates team at a time when it was captained by the soccer legend Jomo Sono . More recently , it has partnered with the Springbok rugby team , supporting the national squad as they powered through to Rugby World Cup victory in Japan back in 2019 and most recently in France last year . The company invests in a range of other social responsibility projects , including youth employment initiatives and various community activities .
AfriSam prides itself on responsible business practices and complies with the Social and Labour Plan regulations that apply as part of its mining licences at quarries . These regulations help ensure that mining is conducted in ways that protect the environment while forging a more sustainable social and economic future by fostering skills , equality and local development . The company ’ s vision and actions go well beyond these regulations , however , leveraging 90 years of innovation to actively build the groundwork on which the economy can grow .
12 Company Watch