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Cement Industry is considered by many as one of the best industries that have a very high added value as the raw materials it requires are of no value at all. Most of them are even good for no other use. The main one i.e. limestone which makes 80% of the total volume is considered as an obstacle in front of good agriculture. As regards Energy (the next decisive factor), Saudi Arabia is privileged with the needed natural resources i.e. Oil which makes it easy to have a secured continuous source of energy at a relatively low cost.
It is quite amusing to know that 40 years ago when Yamama's founders were looking for a suitable site for the cement factory they wanted to erect, they selected an area nearby Riyadh well known by Riyadh citizens as "Ghobera" which means "the land of dust" due to the limy nature of its ground. Geological surveys proved later that this area is the typical sought site for a cement plant as it is the sole area that has the quality and quantity of limestone a cement plant usually needs. Hence it was selected to be the site of the, by then, relatively small cement plant. Now the small plant has expanded and became a huge cement works which did not consume so far but a little of the huge reserves of the surrounding limestone hills and surprisingly enough Ghobera also expanded and became one of the quarters of the metropolitan Riyadh city. With a situation like this Yamama had no choice but to remain always committed to do whatever it takes to protect "Ghobera" and other quarters of Riyadh and the whole surrounding environment against hazards that could be caused by its cement factory. In its continuous endeavour to stay on friendly terms with both environment and community, it employed the latest technology ever known in the field of emission control. In 1999 an SR 50 million project for upgrading its electric precipitators (electric filters) was completed enabling Yamama cement factory and the surrounding community to enjoy a clean air content coming out of the five stacks of the factory with almost no emissions at all (less than 30 mg/m3).

Both stacks and filters are also under the welcomed close watch of Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration (MEPA). MEPA has its own recording devices installed on the stacks to provide continuous reports on the status of emissions. Controlling dust in a factory where dusty materials (limestone, clay, sand, iron ore and gypsum) form its main input and dusty materials again (clinker and finely ground cement) form its main output is not, by all means, an easy job.; On the other hand, Yamama continues to use recyclable packing paper sacs rather the cheaper (but unrecyclable) plastic ones. To confirm the compliance of its EMS (Environmental Management System) with international standards (like ISO 14001), Yamama shall soon obtain the needed registration certificate. Yamama succeeded in dealing with the challenge the right way and continued developing itself and the community around it as well.

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Table - 4
(Comparing Standard Limits for Dust Emissions in Certain Arab and Other Countries)

Table - 5
(Independent Measurements For Dust Emissions from Kiln Stacks)

Since the very day it was founded, Yamama Cement presented itself to the surrounding community as an integrated part of it. It displayed full commitment towards the common welfare of the community. Playing a constructive role not only by taking a part in proper employment of national capital i.e. by investing in settling heavy industry in the country, but also in employing and training of natives to enable them to understand and deal with modern technologies employed in such industry. In every day practice it fights hard to keep prices stable and during shortages chooses to sell directly to end-users. Yamama refrained from having its own fleet to transport cement to its customers leaving it for as many as possible of individual truckers. The social role of Yamama is quite evident in its continuous support (significant donations of cash money or cement quantities) to charity organizations, humanitarian and religious societies, all activities that involve sports, training, education and local heritage saving and restoration works.