We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Cámara Nacional del Cemento (CANACEM) seems to support climate policy with some exceptions, with limited engagement on specific climate policies in 2021-23. The association strongly supports the role of ‘alternative fuels’ such as plastic waste to replace fossil fuels in the cement production process.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: CANACEM seems to take somewhat supportive positions on climate policy in its top-line messaging. The association’s Director General Yanina Navarro seemed to support a 2050 net-zero target for the cement industry in Mexico in October 2022. However, CANACEM has mostly stated broad support for emissions reductions in the cement industry without linking this to timeframes or government-set long-term emissions targets, for example, on its corporate website accessed in March 2023. The association has taken more mixed positions on the need for climate regulation. The Director General signed a collaboration agreement to carry out studies, projects, proposals and legal initiatives on climate change with the Jalisco State Congress in March 2023. However, in February 2022 in an interview with BNAmericas, Yanina Navarro stated that Mexico does not need more climate regulation but that it needed adjusting to, for example, take into account the life-cycle of materials. In the same February 2022 interview, the Director General seemed to support the UN Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations:InfluenceMap did not detect publicly available engagement with specific climate change regulations in Mexico in 2021-23. However, in June 2019 in comments to policymakers on the Mexican Emissions Trading System, the association advocated to weaken the policy by, for example, supporting free allowances being granted for direct and indirect emissions and advocating that excess emissions rights from the test phase should be used in the operational ETS.
Positioning on Energy Transition: CANACEM seems to take somewhat unclear positions on the transition of the energy mix, strongly advocating for the use of ‘alternative fuels’. In April 2022, the President Jaime Hill supported using alternative fuels such as plastic waste and used oils to reduce emissions in the cement industry, without referencing an IPCC decarbonization pathway for cement. This position was echoed in a meeting with policymakers in October 2020.