Cemex

Fortune Editors

These companies use the creative forces of capitalism to solve big problems—and do well by doing good.

Cement company Cemex has the scale to influence the construction industry’s carbon footprint. It offers lower-carbon options such as Portland limestone cement, and further lessens its CO₂ emissions by incorporating in its products sustainable materials such as fly ash and slag cement, the latter a hydraulic version derived from a by-product of iron manufacturing. In May 2026 Cemex received a Water Stewardship Programme of the Year award in part for its work to replace potable water at its ready-mix concrete plants with alternative sources like treated municipal and industrial wastewater.

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The companies on this list are mobilizing the creative tools of capitalism to help solve social problems.

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.&nbsp;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.

As we face unprecedented collective challenges, cooperation has become a business superpower.

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When COVID-19 struck Mexico, Cemex’s response was concrete: The cement giant speedily created prefab facilities to tend the sick. Its “turnkey hospital modules” each contain up to 45 beds and can be built within 15 days, at a cost the company says is 70% lower than traditional construction. The mini-hospitals, in place in 12 cities so far, are outfitted with antibacterial concrete and ultraviolet-light-based air filtration systems to curb the spread of infection. Cemex expects to build far more of them, as Mexico plans to install nearly 300,000 new hospital beds by 2030.

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