Holcim wins EPA's Gulf Guardian Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program named Holcim, Inc., as the winner of its 2015 Gulf Guardian Award for the Business and Industry Category today. 

Holcim's cement plant in Theodore, Alabama, initiated a stormwater management program in 1999. By diverting stormwater for use in cooling/conditioning water for the plant’s production processes, the company prevented 88 million gallons of discharge from being released into the Theodore Industrial Canal. The plant also has entirely eliminated discharges since the programs implementation, barring hurricanes or tropical storms. The only other time the plant has discharges is during maintenance dredges, which occur once every 15 years. 

The company was recognized for its positive environmental impact, which the EPA said can be replicated throughout the region.

“This is the 13th year of the Gulf Guardian Awards, and I am proud to say that each year the winners in all categories have represented the very best of environmental accomplishments in the Gulf of Mexico,” Gulf of Mexico Program Chief of Staff Diane Altsman said. “The Gulf of Mexico Program partnership works to improve the environmental health of the Gulf, and the Gulf Guardian Awards is an important way for us to recognize these valuable efforts.”