CemenTürk is going to the field with 15 years of experience: CUSCIT seminar brings the cement industry together in November with the slogan “Sustainable Technologies for the Future”. We talked to CemenTürk’s Concessionaire and Editor-in-Chief Nurhan Gürel about the seminar:
“We are working to discuss the sustainable future of the cement industry in the next century of the Republic of Turkiye and to move it forward”
You rolled up your sleeves for the technical seminar where you put CemenTürk’s 15 years of experience in the cement sector on display. How did this decision develop?
This was an idea that had been in my mind for the last years. Without the pandemic, maybe we could have started earlier, but as a team that has followed all the economic, political, national and international processes of the sector, including the pandemic, and followed the sector from within for 15 years, we took the decision at the point where we felt most ready.
With CemenTürk International Sustainable Cement & Clinker Production Technologies Seminar, which we abbreviate as CUSCIT, we aim to make a strong contribution to the information sharing environment required to achieve a high level of success in sustainable production in the future while celebrating the success of the sector in the 100th anniversary of our Republic.
In 15 years, how did the cement industry evolve in your opinion? Where did sustainability gain importance in this process?
15 years ago, when we founded CemenTürk magazine, many people thought that we were entering a business that was difficult to sustain. However, the sector, with its attitude of constantly renewing and growing itself, has not only provided us with the opportunity to make news and share its existence with the world bilingually for 15 years, but has existed as a very strong sector.
The Sustainable Development Goals are important in every sector, but in the cement and cement additives sector, we are at a point where they should be taken seriously. Of course, our signature to the Paris Agreement has contributed to the process suddenly becoming more visible. Expectations for a sustainable, environmentally sensitive, energy-efficient management style in cement and clinker production technologies have increased, and important actors in the sector have already rolled up their sleeves.
CUSCIT Seminar sets out with the slogan “Sustainable Technologies for the Future”. But is the only focus on “environmentally friendly production in the cement industry”?
Of course, sustainability is not just a matter of being environmentally friendly. Article 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, titled Gender Equality, is on the table as an important item that needs to be addressed in male-dominated industrial sectors. Important institutions of our sector, such as the Cement Industry Employers’ Association (ÇEİS), are taking steps to redefine the presence of women in the cement sector with eye-catching projects in this regard. Article 8, titled “Decent work and economic growth”, emphasizes the more responsible social aspects of the work. Since CUSCIT is a technical seminar, we will include technical presentations focusing on the relationship between production technologies and the environment, but of course there will also be conferences and discussions on the sustainable development topics mentioned during the seminar.
The cement sector has now broken its shell of, and has reached a point where it has developed a more dynamic and unique sector culture that not only produces cement, but also carries out reputation and communication activities, exists with society, and contributes to society. I believe that the seminar will nourish this situation and even strengthen this dynamic by giving it a new direction, and to be more precise, we embarked on this work with this belief.
Will the seminar become an annual event? Where do you see CUSCIT evolving in the future?
CemenTürk International Seminar on Sustainable Cement & Clinker Production Technologies (CUSCIT) will definitely be a lasting work, because this seminar aims to contribute to the vision of at least the next 50 years by breaking the patterns of the past, to create the sense of unity needed for the development of the sector, and to give direction to create a culture that will enable us to move forward as a sector that cares about the planet, humane working conditions, children and quality of life. Naturally, CUSCIT, which is based on technical foundations, but on which we will build more, will also turn into a platform that is the apple of the industry’s eye. We are doing our best for this.
As one of the names that has been taking the pulse of the sector for many years, what would you like to say to the sector authorities about CUSCIT?
For 15 years, we have known great people and teams. Continuing this adventure with them has added unique experiences to both me and CemenTürk. Now we are creating a completely different synthesis from these experiences with the CUSCIT seminar.
On November 22-25, 2023 in Belek, Antalya, we will spend a few precious days together, with a new perspective, future vision and information sharing, but also a lot of fun. While embracing the entire cement industry with CUSCIT, I invite you with this call;
Come and join us to discuss the sustainable future of the cement industry in the next century of the Republic of Turkiye and move it forward!
