In 1999, ten of the world's largest cement companies, including Votorantim Cimentos, came together to form the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a group created to promote the sustainable development of the cement industry. Of all the industrial sectors affiliated with the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development), the cement industry was the first to adopt of its own accord a series of initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions through joint and individual activities. Three years after its creation, the group launched the Agenda for Action, which outlined the industry's targets and commitments to compensate for and mitigate its impact on the environment.

The action plan established a twenty-year timeframe for the fulfillment of the objectives established in 2002, with five-yearly progress reports on the agreed initiatives, though some activities, such as the monitoring and reduction of CO2 emissions, will be reported annually. One of the commitments assumed by CSI member companies was to report their individual results in 2006. This site presents the progress made by Votorantim Cimentos.

One of CSI's core proposals is to disseminate the best practices of each of its signatories. In addition to the ten founding members, a further 13 companies have since joined the movement, which currently accounts for half of global cement production outside China.

Concrete is the most widely used material in the world after water and its production is growing at a phenomenal rate. Various raw materials—chiefly cement—play a part in its manufacturing process, which is today responsible for 5 percent of global emissions of CO2 the gas most closely associated with global warming.

CSI was developed under the auspices of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), an organization that promotes sustainability in the business world in over thirty countries.

The Commitments of CSI-Member Companies:

In 2005, CSI published a complete report presenting the results obtained in the six main work areas outlined in its Agenda for Action. There are joint projects for the cement sector and individual member activities for each work area.