It ain’t easy being green but industry is adapting

Last month saw two major local cement producers, Holcim Lebanon and Cimenterie Nationale, both acquire an ISO 14001 accreditation – the International Standard Organization’s guideline for environmental management tools – and later announce that they planned to invest more than $5 million over the next five years and $15 million in the next four years, respectively, for the amelioration of the environmental performance of their plants in Chekka, an area blighted by environmental problems. In fact, since 1996, Lebanese industrialists have plowed more than $250 million into safeguarding the environment. The simple truth is that a sound environmental policy enhances productivity, reduces operating costs, improves sales, bolsters marketing efforts and creates a better working atmosphere. What is even more surprising is that Lebanese industrialists have taken the hint. “In our case, our $30 million investment in environmentally friendly equipment, which we have installed over the past 10 years, has allowed