"More Understanding is Needed About the Critical Role of Refractories"
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“More Understanding is Needed About the Critical Role of Refractories” Carol Jackson, Chairman and CEO of HarbisonWalker International, has begun her two-year term presidency of the World Refractories Association in January 2020. She succeeds Stefan Borgas, CEO of RHI Magnesita, who has led the organization since January 2018. In an interview with the Interceram she talks about the environmental responsibility of the refractories industry and the role of refractories as an essential industry – especially in view of the current crisis.
Interceram: You have just begun your twoyear term presidency of the WRA in January 2020. What are the main objectives of your presidency? Carol Jackson: Since WRA was formed in 2014, our primary goals have been to promote the interests of the worldwide refractory industry and provide a global forum for the common interests of members, while serving as the voice of the industry. In addition, we have focused on making continuous progress in the areas of health, safety, global industry standards, and environmental issues. As we look ahead for the remainder of 2020 and beyond, these overall objectives continue to be priorities for our organization. None of us, however, could have expected the impact that the COVID-19 global pandemic would have on our industry and all the industries we serve. At the onset of the pandemic, governing bodies around the world were working to determine essential businesses that should remain open to support health operations and guarantee public safety. It became urgently necessary for WRA to communicate that refractories are an essential industry that is vital to the manufacturing of countless goods that ensure the safety and security of our global community. Through this situation, we found that ongoing communication was necessary to elevate awareness and understanding of the criticality of refractories as an industry. Through our committee structures, our members have been working together to deliver these messages across multiple com-
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munications channels. We’ve also been hard at work, sharing best practices for addressing pandemic health and safety issues in our members’ facilities. The production of refractory products is a very energy-intensive process that causes a lot of CO2 emissions. At the last general assembly of the WRA, your predecessor Stefan Borgas, CEO RHI Magnesita, addressed this issue, stating: “Humanity needs to drastically reduce its ecological footprint to survive in the long run, and the refractory industry must contribute its fair share. We have already fulfilled our role as a part of society that creates value in the past. Now we have to expand our responsibility and help stop the climate crisis”. How does the WRA follow up on this objective? As we look to the next two years at WRA, we will continue to encourage and assist in continuous progress for the healthy, safe, and environmentally-sound production of refractories, while working towards an ecological footprint reduction. Our member companies have placed a great deal of foc
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