China's biggest builder claims green credentials

China's largest building materials manufacturer is claiming it's living up to its social and corporate responsibilities by employing green and clean technology.

The construction industry has long been known for its heavy pollution and high energy use. Figures from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development showed that the industry accounts for 40 percent of energy consumption worldwide at present.

According to Liu Baoying, vice-president of China National Building Material Group Corp (CNBM), the cement sector is a major contributor to the company's energy consumption, accounting for more than 90 percent of the total.

"The company's energy consumption in the cement sector was reduced by 23 percent during the period of the country's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), mainly because of our efforts to eliminate poor production methods and upgrade technology," said Liu.

CNBM has disposed of 51 energy-inefficient cement operations with a total capacity of 6.8 million tons over the past five years, according to its 2010 CSR report. It invested about CYN850 million (USD131 million) in energy saving and emission reduction last year, according to China Daily.

With new 900-MW low-temperature and waste heat power generation equipment, the cement sector is estimated to save 1.4 million tons of standard coal usage annually, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide by 3.5 million tons every year, said the report.