We aim to generate a net positive impact on biodiversity and water preservation by minimizing and offsetting impacts of quarrying through ecological restoration that includes varying ecosystems from rainforests and mangroves to corals. With a 2030 ambition to reduce specific water consumption by 20%, achieving a 40% contribution through rainwater harvesting and wastewater reusing. At present, INSEE Cement promotes efficient water management and consumption across all manufacturing and operational facilities in Sri Lanka. The Puttalam Cement Plant also operates a Wastewater Treatment Plant constructed using scrap yard material, preventing any groundwater pollution in the area.
All INSEE Cement Sri Lanka plants are fully compliant with all regulations applicable to the business, including the National Environmental Act of Central Environmental Authority and specific covenants particular to the North Western and Southern Provincial Environmental Authorities where our Puttalam, Ruhunu and Galle Cement plants are located. In the process of setting up each plant, additional approvals have also been obtained from the Coastal Conservation Department, Marine Environment Protection Authority, Board of Investment (BOI), National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), Urban Development Authority (UDA) and Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).
INSEE Cement has demonstrated a strong commitment to biodiversity management and conservation over the years, both on land and sea; we clear an average 25 acres of forestland annually for limestone mining in accordance with operational licenses from the Geological Survey & Mines Bureau, Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and Provincial Environmental Act (PEA) of Sri Lanka, the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of Sri Lanka, the Ramsar Convention framework among other local and international treaties and regulations. INSEE Cement Sri Lanka also follows an extensive approval process including an Environmental Impact Assessment and special biodiversity mapping, with technical support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). To minimize the disruption to surrounding ecosystems caused by our excavation work, we use a comprehensive biodiversity management plan. The rehabilitation program includes a voluntary animal rescue program across the designated quarry area prior to mining to relocate 2,500 slow moving and small animals on average to safer areas in the immediate environment, the reforestation of mining sites with over 7000 saplings each year, as well as regular ecological monitoring of restored mines to better evolve the quarry ecosystem. To date, INSEE Cement Sri Lanka has restored and reforested over 87 hectares of the Aruwakkalu Quarry successfully.
We also partnered with coral experts from the IUCN Sri Lanka and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) to preserve degraded marine habitats and coral reefs off the coast of Unawatuna, closer to the INSEE Cement operation in Galle. The coral reef that was successfully re-propagated through an artificial growth catalyst structure continues to be monitored closely by the team, with 25 coral colonies established along the reef to date. Phase II of the project was implemented in partnership with the Rotaract Club of the University of Moratuwa and the Sri Lanka Navy with a more progressive coral restoration methodology, where coated steel structures were installed on the coral bed to provide added strength and resilience, leading to a significant enhancement of coastal biodiversity.
INSEE Cement is part of a multi-company Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and landmark collaboration to restore a fully degraded fern-covered 10-hectare patch of land in Halgahawala, Opatha, nestling within the Kanneliya Forest Reserve, a wet lowland rainforest in the Galle district. The project was initiated by the non-profit organization Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL) in partnership with the Sri Lanka Forest Department, IUCN Sri Lanka and 10 selected private sector partners including INSEE Cement with the intention to rehabilitate the land using principles of restoration ecology, enhancing habitat quality and species diversity to restore it back to its original state.
An integral part of INSEE Cement’s drive to preserve the environment is creating awareness and educating the future generations of Sri Lanka on the urgency of integrating transformational, ecofriendly practices into our day-to-day lives. One such initiative was our ‘One Child One Tree’ campaign in partnership with Colombo Plan and Child fund Sri Lanka, where we gifted saplings to around 6,000 primary and middle-school student across 20 local schools in Anuradhapura and Puttalam districts in Sri Lanka. The students were educated on the importance of nurturing the plant and monitoring its growth, imbuing a sense of responsibility and ownership towards the environment they live in. The project continues to cover other schools in the Anuradhapura area and has also extended to the townships surrounding INSEE Cement’s Puttalam Cement Plant.
Phase I of our Water Directive introduced a mechanism to measure and report water recycling data at the Puttalam Cement Plant, which showed that almost 2% of the water withdrawn by the Puttalam Cement Plant was recycled and reused where possible and practical in the day-today operations. INSEE also renewed its commitment to mitigate the impact of our activities on natural water resources in the localities in which we operate, with all water used across our operations treated in sewage or effluent treatment and Reverse Osmosis Plants with zero discharge to the environment and used for gardening and other purposes including dust suppression. This is also one of several dust suppression initiatives we have implemented at our plants, as we continuously monitor ambient air quality to remain well within regulatory standards.
A wide range of tests and equipment to assess fresh and hardened concrete properties
A wide range of tests and equipment to assess and ensure your aggregate grade meets the demand and requirement of your concrete.
A range of tests to assess properties of fresh concrete that go beyond the traditional ‘slump test’, improving the quality and consistency of concrete.
Advanced testing with durability indicators to optimize structural performance and extend the service life of concrete structures exposed to severe environments.