It takes tremendous amounts of energy to make cement and concrete—which in turn means those materials have a huge carbon footprint. Mexican concrete giant Cemex has been pioneering a “circular economy” project that aims to shrink that footprint by turning plastic pollution into fuel.
Through a partnership with the nongovernmental nonprofit VeryNile, Cemex is removing waste—mostly discarded plastic—from the Nile river, then converting it into biofuels for a cement-processing plant in Assiut, Egypt. The cleanup benefits ecosystems and agricultural communities that rely on the river as a water source; it also creates jobs in those communities. While still in its early stages—the project has converted 395 tons of waste so far—it could be a model for much bigger things to come.