These guidelines were completed in 2005 after two phases of stakeholder dialogue were conducted with help from Manchester University’s Impact Assessment Center. The guidelines are freely available for use by cement companies worldwide.

They were not intended to be comprehensive or prescriptive, as local circumstances vary greatly depending on geography, culture and economic development factors.

The guidelines instead provide a basic framework for taking environmental and social concerns into account through the lifespan of any quarry and cement plant, and identifying the critical issues in each phase, as well as ways to address most of them. A thorough ESIA, undertaken with rigorous scientific analysis and stakeholder engagement, is an essential part of any project development, and is the most useful tool for evaluating and managing impacts of a cement site.