Rejoinder to TITAN Cement’s response to a video of the incident on 18 May 2017

TITAN Cement responded to a video showing heavy emissions rising out of the Alexandria Portland Cement Company (APCC) plant, owned by a subsidiary of TITAN Cement Company S.A. The response was published by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and included a confirmation that “due to a temporary incident at [APCC], on May 18, 2017, release of dust was caused”. The response provided assurances that the “incident was detected and brought under control very quickly”… EIPR finds significant inconsistencies between the multiple documented incidents of heavy emissions (see Annex below) documented by the residents, on one hand, and the company’s assertion that the 18 May incident is a “temporary incident”. EIPR alone found 14 videos and images that document numerous incidents between June 2015 and May 2017 showing a huge amount of emissions rising out of APCC’s plant … Moreover, it is perplexing and particularly concerning that the numerous documented incidents are not reflected in the company’s emissions’ monitoring records, which it submitted in one of the relevant legal actions. The incidents are also absent from records of the National Network for Monitoring Industrial Emissions, part of the Ministry of Environment, as presented by the company. Such discrepancy gives rise to serious questions and concerns.

[Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited TITAN Cement Company S.A. to respond, but the company declined to do so.]