NRMCA has certified Unibeton’s New Port Plant in Doha, Qatar, at the Gold level in NRMCA’s Sustainable Concrete Plant Certification Program. The program, designed to help concrete producers demonstrate excellence in sustainable manufacturing, includes quantitative, performance-based metrics to provide ready mixed concrete producers with specific guidance to assess their production practices and implement responsible sourcing strategies that will ultimately lower their overall environmental footprint.

To earn the certification, plant personnel use a document titled Sustainable Concrete Plant Guidelines that rates a plant’s level of sustainability within different credit categories, with the objective of reducing carbon footprint, energy consumption, water use and waste; increasing recycled content; and improving human health and social conditions. Plants can achieve between 0 and 100 points depending on how many sustainability credits are achieved and their level of performance within each credit. Plants are awarded points according to the following NRMCA Sustainable Concrete Plant Certification point categories:

•Bronze: 30-49 points

•Silver: 50-69 points

•Gold: 70-89 points

•Platinum: 90-100 points

Unibeton’s New Port Plant received an unprecedented 83 points, putting it solidly into the Gold level of certification. "Unibeton should be very proud for having the first plant in the world to certify at the Gold level," said Lionel Lemay, senior vice president of sustainability for NRMCA. "Unibeton has clearly demonstrated its commitment to sustainable manufacturing and continuous environmental improvement." In addition, Lemay indicated that certifying at the Gold level is a remarkable achievement since the program is extremely rigorous.