The World Cement Association has issued an October Update for its members detailing changes at the association over the last six months in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the travel restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic, the 2020 General Assembly for all WCA members will be held fully online on 10th December, 10-12.30 London time. The initial 10-11am session will be open to Primary Representatives only, for the formal session and the election of directors, followed by another session 11-12.30, open to all employees of WCA members, consisting of a keynote speech, updates from WCA chief executive officer Ian Riley, and presentations from the professional committees.
"The last 6 months has seen many changes at WCA as we have tried to adapt to a new environment in which travel is not possible," said Riley.
The WCA says that, following the success of its webinars during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is launching the first cement industry podcast series, the “Clinker Factor”.
In the first season Ian Riley will talk to industry leaders, experts and technological innovators from across the globe, bringing insights and fresh perspectives on how the cement sector can decarbonise and improve sustainability. The first episode, on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and its impact on the European cement industry, with guest speakers Vincent Lefebvre, Anne Dekeukelaere and Michael Mehling, will soon be available to listen to at https://www.worldcementassociation.org/wca-media/podcasts or, alternatively, on Spotify and iTunes.
The WCA says it has successfully launched its four professional committees and networks. These committees are: Technology & Innovation; Environment & Climate Change; Marketing & Logistics; and Safety & Health. WCA Corporate and Associate Corporate Members can nominate up to three representatives per network.
In September 2020, the WCA kicked off Phase 1 of PEGASUS 2020, which it says is the first of its kind global benchmarking, plant evaluation and gap analysis programme, with 11 participating Corporate Members and over 100 plants.
