CLOSING THE LOOP

As sustainability considerations become increasingly central to the built environment, the responsible management of construction-related waste is emerging as a key focus area for the readymix concrete sector. For AfriSam, this challenge is being addressed through a deliberate ESG-led approach that aligns operational performance with environmental stewardship and long-term resource efficiency.

Circular solutions

At the heart of the company’s strategy is its commitment to people, planet and performance – a framework that underpins the way it manages the environmental impacts associated with readymix production and delivery. Key sustainability issues in the sector include returned concrete, grey water, concrete spillages and the risk of soil contamination, all of which require robust systems and proactive management.

According to Amit Dawneerangen, Construction Materials Executive: Sales & Product Technical at AfriSam, returned concrete from customer sites has historically been one of the industry’s most persistent environmental challenges. As part of its commitment to preserving natural resources and reducing waste to landfill, AfriSam has over the years developed practical circular economy solutions that ensure materials remain in productive use for as long as possible. “If we have a quarry site nearby, we are often able to recycle a considerable proportion of concrete that is returned from a site,” Dawneerangen says. “It is dumped in a designated controlled area of the quarry to harden and is then crushed and added into our G5 material – subject to the agreement of the customer.”

This approach reflects a clear circularity principle: transforming what would traditionally be regarded as waste into a secondary construction material that can be reintegrated into the value chain. By recovering and repurposing hardened concrete, AfriSam is not only reducing environmental impact but also supporting more efficient use of virgin resources.

Where planning and logistics allow, wet returned readymix is also repurposed before it sets. Through careful coordination, the material is cast into blocks and bricks that are then used extensively across AfriSam’s quarry operations for road markers and other practical applications.

Importantly, this extends beyond operational efficiency to social impact. Surplus readymix has, where feasible, also contributed to community upliftment projects, including the casting of classroom floors for schools in need. In this way, waste minimisation intersects with social value creation – a key pillar of ESG performance.

Water stewardship

Water stewardship is another critical element of the company’s sustainability approach. Following the off-loading of concrete, the slurry residue remaining inside a readymix truck must be rinsed out daily to prevent material hardening in the drum. “The resulting grey water is carefully channelled into settling pits, from where we can use it in a number of plant activities to conserve water use,” says Dawneerangen. “On certain sites, the residue slush is agitated in a pond, monitored, sampled and reused in the batching plant to mix with the cement, aggregate and sand.” This process supports closed-loop water use principles by reducing reliance on freshwater inputs – an increasingly important sustainability imperative in South Africa’s water-scarce context.

Environmental safeguards

AfriSam has also introduced preventative measures to minimise concrete spillages during transport, including pioneering the use of covers on the discharge chutes of its readymix trucks. “In the unlikely event of any spillage, each plant has a clean-up crew that will respond quickly with the necessary equipment,” Dawneerangen says. This rapid-response capability is increasingly important as environmental compliance standards tighten across the construction sector. Soil contamination risks, particularly from vehicle oil leaks, require active management and swift remediation. “A truck that leaks oil is a source of soil contamination, so we pay special attention to ensuring this kind of pollution does not occur,” Dawneerangen notes. “If it does, we are in a position to respond timeously and mitigate the impact.”

By embedding circular economy thinking, water stewardship and proactive environmental risk management into its operations, AfriSam continues to demonstrate how ESG principles can be translated into practical, measurable impact across the construction materials value chain. www.afrisam.com