Bamburi continues to expand its solutions and find even better ways to build sustainably

Bamburi Cement’s Vision “To be the undisputed leader and preferred partner by providing innovative solutions for nation building,” speak to its bold ambitions.

Bamburi Cement's Mombasa Plant

It is impossible to tell the history of Kenya, and East Africa’s, cement manufacturing without starting with Bamburi Cement. Indeed, Bamburi has been synonymous with cement manufacturing and marketing in the region for decades, springing from a history and commitment to having a sustainable business model.

When Croatian construction magnate Felix Mandl landed in Kenya in 1951 on an exploration mission, decided to make the country his home and set up the country’s foremost cement company at the Coastal town of Mombasa, the industry was born literary. Over the years Bamburi Cement has embarked on a solid journey of ‘building the nation’ through investment in innovation, high quality cement, and solutions that meet specific needs of the industry, and most importantly taking a sustainability approach.

Today it still stands as the leading cement manufacturing and marketing company in the Eastern Africa region.

Sustainable practices are good for business

Sustainability has always been a key focus for Bamburi. For many decades Bamburi Cement has been known for its efforts in quarry rehabilitation and conservation through its environmental arm Lafarge Eco Systems (LES). Its prominent example being Bamburi Haller Park, a former quarry wasteland that is now a rich ecosystem of diverse vegetation and wildlife (comprising rescued animals). Haller Park is now a great tourist attraction at the Kenyan Coast and is also source of sharing experiences, expertise and knowledge with others through environmental education programs.  Its unique rehabilitation has seen it become the first recipient of the United Nations Environmental Program Global 500 Roll of Honor award.

The company has also had partnerships with different like-minded organizations, like KenGen Foundation among other partners, on an initiative dubbed ‘The Green Initiative Challenge (GIC)’ that is designed to encourage and enable schools in arid and semi-arid areas to participate in environmental activities by developing woodlots within their school compounds, and making school children environmental ambassadors.

Further, as energy intensive industries find opportunities in utilizing alternative fuels, Bamburi now forms partnerships with waste producers - from agricultural, to waste oil and tyres - that substitute fossil fuels in its factories, while also addressing the society’s waste management challenge.

3D printing technology to accelerate construction

Technologies like 3D concrete printing are opening new ways to build more, and to build more quickly, using less material. Our proprietary ink, TectorPrint, helps architects and designers showcase the possibilities.

At the end of 2021 Bamburi partnered in launch of Africa’s largest 3D printed housing project in Kilifi, Kenya, developed by 14Trees, a joint venture between Holcim and CDC Group. Building on Holcim’s experience supporting the world-first 3D-printed school in Malawi, the 52-unit Mvule Gardens housing complex will be built in 2022.

The project demonstrates how rapidly 3D printing can accelerate construction. This is especially urgent in countries like Kenya, which faces an estimated shortage of two million houses. The project’s advanced sustainability profile won an IFC-EDGE Advanced sustainable design certification, which recognizes resource-efficient and zero-carbon buildings.

Community engagements

In addition, active community engagement and involvement is a big part of Bamburi’s responsible mining agenda, fully embracing its responsibilities as a responsible corporate citizen. The company has continued to work hand in hand with communities around its operations, as well as with partners, to support them in areas of need.

Sustainable Mining

Indeed, Bamburi has been cited as ‘Best in Class’ in terms of compliance with the mining and mineral prospecting operations requirements in line with the Mining Act and regulations. This includes continuous engagement with the various communities around its operations during the mining process, through annual Environmental Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and maintaining world class rehabilitation of mined areas.

‘Green’ construction solutions

In addition, Bamburi Cement offers building solutions like ‘Maskani’ and ‘Houses of Tomorrow’ giving an opportunity to local home builders to not only construct cost-effectively but also achieve very low embodied CO2 footprint buildings. The company also continues to expand its array of ‘green cements’ that already include its Duracem, Nguvu and Fundi cement brands; putting forward to customers high quality products while also reducing their impact on the environment.

Building progress for people and the planet

With a resolute mantra ‘Building for People and the Planet’, under its ‘Strategy 2025 – Accelerating Green Growth’ Bamburi is cognizant of the fact that to remain competitive into the future, it must combine sound financial performance with a commitment to social responsibility, environmental stewardship and economic development of the nation.

As such, the company has adopted a growth strategy that looks at being at the forefront of building for the future by running responsible operations, protecting the environment, partnering with communities, and providing the market with solutions to build sustainably.

Bamburi Cement is among companies that strongly believes that sustainable initiatives are good for business, therefore adopting an environmental Sustainability approach in its day-to-day operations.

Right from employees who learn the culture of environmental sustainability through practice at work, up to organisations learning that innovation is part of the process that makes their businesses sustainable adding so much value to their success.