Belarusian Cement Company was the first in the country to receive an environmental declaration for its products

At the end of April, OJSC «Belarusian Cement Plant» received a voluntary environmental declaration EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) for four brands of cement it produces. This is the first such experience in Belarus.

– An environmental declaration is a voluntary statement by a manufacturer about the impact of one or another of its products on the environment, taking into account its life cycle, – said Yulia Blazhko, head of the quality management department at OJSC «Belarusian Cement Plant», about the progress of the project. – The work was carried out in two stages. The first is a thorough assessment of the life cycle of products at each stage, from the extraction of raw materials, the purchase of all materials necessary for its production, to the actual production, waste disposal and distribution. In this case, actual data on all indicators (consumption of fuel and energy resources, emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere from stationary sources and from vehicles, consumption of raw materials and materials, etc.) for the previous year are used. This is a huge amount of information. Specialists of the state enterprise «Ekologiyainvest», which became the first developer of the EPD declaration in the Republic of Belarus, visited the enterprise several times, requested a large amount of information, which was provided to them by almost all services and departments. After summarizing the collected information with the help of special programs, a detailed expert report was generated on the analysis of the product life cycle, with descriptive tables and diagrams. The next stage is the verification (verification) of the environmental declaration and its confirmation by an independent party – a European notified body. An expert from Germany established the reliability of the data used, made the necessary changes and additions to the draft declaration. After confirmation by the verifier, the EPD declaration was registered in the international system with the assignment of a unique registration number. The environmental declaration is valid for 5 years. After its expiration, the entire procedure for obtaining a voluntary environmental declaration EPD must be carried out again.

Although the EPD declaration is voluntary and costs a lot of money, in recent years the importance of this approach to production in the world has been growing. Since the assessment of environmental nuances is carried out according to strict international standards, the very fact of obtaining an EPD declaration is a competitive advantage and an effective tool for promoting products on the market. This is a serious indicator of safety, confirmed by a comprehensive authoritative study. Thus, the holding «Belarusian Cement Company», represented by the Belarusian Cement Plant, confirms that it is moving in line with «green» trends, pays close attention to environmental protection and follows the principles of the Paris Climate Agreement. Preparations for the receipt of voluntary environmental declarations are also being carried out today by OJSC «Krichevcementnoshifer» and OJSC «Krasnoselskstroymaterialy».