Social Responsibility

We are committed to causes important to the communities that surround our sites and to open dialogue about our operations.

Check out our Working Together Summary!
English

Social Responsibility

Concrete is the most used man-made material in the world and cement and aggregates are key ingredients in concrete. These are our products and you'll find them everywhere – from homes and hospitals to schools, streets and skyscrapers.

Our materials improve peoples' quality of life by supporting the development, modernization and improvement of towns, cities and infrastructure. This requires large-scale operations. With cement plants, ready-mixed concrete yards and aggregates sites positioned to support customers around the Great Lakes, we recognize that we have a significant presence in the communities where we work and live. Having sites close to where our products are used helps to reduce transportation requirements, contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

We strive to be socially responsible and available for constructive dialogue about our operations and view social responsibility as having two parts: managing potential impacts resulting from our operations and getting involved with causes important to the communities that surround our sites.

Managing potential impacts

We are active in both global and North American industry associations committed to furthering the use of safe, low-carbon alternative fuels, including those that may otherwise end up in landfills, and advancing policies to speed their adoption. We are also a recognized leader in the rehabilitation of lands we use, progressively restoring them to active farmland and naturalized features that complement the surrounding areas. Our operations are governed by organizations with policies established to ensure the health of communities surrounding our operations. When neighbors have concerns, we make time to hear those concerns and explain our operations and the regulatory limits in which we operate. We have several ways in which we work to maintain open dialogue, including fielding calls, hosting visits, tours and community meetings, and participating in municipal and community forums.

Getting involved

Our goal as a business is to make a positive impact though our products — and charitable activities. Our employees regularly volunteer time and make personal donations to a variety of causes important to the communities that surround our operations. These activities are focused primarily around Health & Wellness; Veterans, Emergency Services and Law Enforcement; and Education. In the past five years, VCNA businesses have contibuted approximately $US 1.6M in support of these causes.