The MOU signed at the Siam City Cement Headquarters in Bangkok sealed a three-year partnership that aims to protect limestone hills in the group’s quarrying sites in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The ultimate goal of the partnership is to turn the limestone quarrying sites into forests through rehabilitation programmes.
IUCN’s mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature.
The organization founded in 1948 under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has a network of members in government agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations and affiliates.
In Sri Lanka, the MOU will strengthen INSEE Cement’s capacity to rescue and release threatened wildlife, prepare mine restoration guidelines and carry out annual ecological monitoring of restored mines in INSEE Cement’s quarry sites in Aruwakkalu and Puttalam.
CEO of INSEE Cement Sri Lanka, Nandana Ekanayake said “The Group’s initiative has been acknowledged and appreciated by our Chairman, Mr Paul Heinz Hugentobler, a renowned strong supporter of biodiversity conservation and management, who commented that Siam City Cement Group is committed to protect the planet earth by being the responsible industry leader in biodiversity management and conservation in the Asian region.
We are pleased to be an integral part of this endeavour. In Sri Lanka we are working with IUCN-SL since 2007 to ensure conservation in quarry sites, as the partnership is focused on delivering practical solutions which protects Sri Lankan ecosystem.
We take pride in meeting the expectations of our local stakeholders and join hands with our Group and OpCo’s on the dedicated commitment to enhance forestry and quarry management in Asia.”
The MOU was signed by the Chairman Paul Heinz Hugentobler, (Centre) CEO Siva Mahasandana, and Aiden Lynam, CEO of Chip Mong INSEE Cement Corporation on behalf of Siam City Cement Group and Jake Brunner, Head of Indo-Burma Group of IUCN (second left).
The occasion was also attended by Phatchada Muenthong and Wilailak Suraphruk from IUCN.
About INSEE Cement, Sri Lanka
INSEE Cement, Sri Lanka also known as Siam City Cement (Lanka) is a member of the Siam City Cement Public Company Limited, a leading cement manufacturer in Southeast Asia, founded in 1969 in Thailand.
INSEE Cement Sri Lanka is the only fully integrated cement manufacturer in the country.
The company manufactures INSEE branded cement – Sanstha, Mahaweli Marine, Mahaweli Marine Plus, INSEE Rapid Flow, INSEE Rapid Flow Plus and INSEE Extra cement.
Further, INSEE Cement Sri Lanka will manufacture INSEE Concrete (Ready Mixed) soon, and currently imports and sells Conwood, popular product in Thailand and Indonesia as a concrete-based replacement for wood.
INSEE Cement’s flagship brand Sanstha Cement, was the first Blended cement launched in Sri Lanka and the first “Green cement product” to receive the green labeling certification from the Green Building Council, Sri Lanka. INSEE Cement Sri Lanka owns subsidiaries, Mahaweli Marine Cement (Private) Limited and INSEE Ecocycle Lanka (Private) Limited.
Photo Caption : From Left to Right : Wilailak Suraphruk, Mr. Jake Brunner, Head of Indo-Burma Group of IUC, Dr.TP Singh, Deputy Asia Regional Director of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Mr. Paul Heinz Hugentobler Chairman of the Board of Directors of Siam City Cement Public Company Limited (SCCC); Siva Mahasandana Director and CEO of SCCC, Mr. Aidan Lynam, CEO of Chip Mong INSEE Cement Corporation and Phatchada Muenthong.