Non-recyclable industrial by-products have traditionally had one destination: a landfill. Through the Verdera co-processing program, we are changing that.
Verdera is St Marys Cement’s co-processing brand, operating under the global sustainability commitments of Votorantim Cimentos. Through it, we work with companies and organizations to evaluate, qualify, and repurpose non-hazardous, non-recyclable waste materials as alternative fuels and raw materials in cement manufacturing. The result is a documented reduction in the volume of waste directed to landfill, a reduction in reliance on traditional fossil fuels, and a verified record of the materials processed and the emissions produced. Every step operates under regulatory approval and environmental oversight.
We do not approach this work as an environmental initiative bolted onto our operations. Co-processing is a regulated, technically rigorous process that has been part of cement manufacturing globally for decades. Our commitment to doing it well, and doing it transparently, reflects the Act with Ownership principle that runs through everything we do.
The co-processing services offered under the Verdera brand cover the full scope of qualifying and managing alternative fuel and raw material streams. We work directly with businesses that generate non-recyclable industrial by-products to assess whether those materials can be responsibly repurposed in our cement kiln.
Not every material qualifies for co-processing, and determining feasibility requires rigorous technical and regulatory assessment. The factors we evaluate include the extent to which a material delivers a measurable environmental benefit, the availability of technology to monitor performance and emissions during use, and the supply chain considerations around transporting materials to the plant, including the emissions generated by that transport. Materials must meet the approval conditions set by provincial and federal regulators before they enter our process.
Traditional feedstocks in cement manufacturing are naturally occurring materials: limestone, shale or clay, sand, and iron ore. These provide the calcium, aluminium, silica, and iron necessary for clinker production. With proper evaluation and regulatory approval, a cement kiln can also incorporate by-products from other industries in place of a portion of those traditional inputs, when available in sufficient and consistent supply. The kiln’s high-temperature environment and long residence times mean that approved materials are fully consumed in the process, with emissions continuously monitored against regulatory conditions.
At our Charlevoix plant, approximately 40 percent of kiln energy now comes from alternative fuel sources processed through this program. At the St Marys Ontario plant, the Alternative Low Carbon Fuels (ALCF) initiative is advancing under Environmental Compliance Approvals issued by the Province of Ontario, with a formal expansion application currently before the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. Both programs operate under the Learn and Evolve principle: measuring results against baseline conditions, reporting transparently, and building on what the data supports.
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