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CEMEX achieves significant progress in sustainability priorities

Monterrey, Mexico. May 3, 2012

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (“CEMEX”) (NYSE: CX), announced today significant progress in key indicators related to sustainable construction, the company’s carbon strategy, environmental and biodiversity management, workplace safety, and its contribution to provide affordable housing and infrastructure to communities around the world.

“We are proud to have reached an alternative fuels substitution rate of close to 25% in our cement operations in 2011, on track to achieve a rate of 35% by 2015. As one of the world’s top building materials companies, we are looking to be a leader in defining and supporting a truly sustainable construction industry.” said Lorenzo H. Zambrano, Chairman of the Board and CEO of CEMEX.

Key highlights include:

  • CEMEX continues to significantly increase the use of lower-carbon alternative fuels. In 2011 the rate of alternative-fuel use rose to 24.7% of total fuel mix, a sizable improvement from its rate of 20.3% in 2010. CEMEX is on track to reach its 2015 target of 35% alternative fuels substitution rate, the most ambitious commitment among its global competitors.
  • CEMEX achieved a 22.7% reduction on CO2 net emissions per ton of cement produced relative to its 1990 baseline, allowing the avoidance of yearly emissions equivalent to that of 1.3 million cars per year. CEMEX confirms its 25% reduction target by 2015.
  • CEMEX expanded the coverage of its carbon footprint tool- the first of its kind in the building materials industry- that allows measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of its cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates products. Introduced in 2010, the CEMEX CO2 Footprint Tool has now been adopted by 88% of its total cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates facilities.
  • We increased the percentage of continuous monitoring of major emissions (dust, NOx and SOx) of our total cement production from 74 to 80%, allowing us to minimize those emissions.
  • An integral part of CEMEX sustainability commitment is the continuing, company-wide effort to improve workplace and community safety. In 2011, CEMEX achieved a 12% reduction in its employee lost-time incident rate to 2.3 incidents per million hours worked.
  • During 2011, the company’s Affordable Housing Program assisted in building more than 3,200 homes for families in the bottom of the pyramid segment, and its affordable housing solutions were made available in five new countries—Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala and Haiti.
  • The company also completed 188 concrete pavement infrastructure projects for highways, mass transit projects, airport runways and city streets, representing more than 8 million square meters of concrete. CEMEX expanded its portfolio of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in 2012. BRTs are high quality bus-based transportation systems that deliver sustainable, fast and cost-effective urban mobility solutions.
  • In 2011, CEMEX incorporated 45,545 additional Latin American families into its “Patrimonio Hoy” program and established 16 new “Productive Centers of Self-employment” benefiting an accumulated total of 400,000 families in Latin America.

If you want to know more about CEMEX’s sustainability strategy and efforts, please review CEMEX’s 2011 Sustainable Development Report, which achieved a GRI-checked application level of A+ for the fourth consecutive year and is available online at http://www.cemex.com/SustainableDevelopment/GlobalReports.aspx and as an iPad App. Using our new iPad App, you will be able to zoom in on great pictures of some of our projects worldwide.

Stay tuned for our sustainability video series that will give you a closer look to some of our most important endeavors.

CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries throughout the world. CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through its efforts to pursue innovative industry solutions and efficiency advancements and to promote a sustainable future.

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This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of CEMEX to be materially different from those expressed or implied in this release, including, among others, changes in general economic, political, governmental and business conditions globally and in the countries in which CEMEX does business, changes in interest rates, changes in inflation rates, changes in exchange rates, the level of construction generally, changes in cement demand and prices, changes in raw material and energy prices, changes in business strategy, and various other factors. CEMEX assumes no obligation to update or correct the information contained in this press release.

Contact Information:

Media Relations
Jorge Pérez
+52 (81) 8888-4334
mr@cemex.com

Investor Relations
Eduardo Rendón
+52 (81) 8888-4256
ir@cemex.com

Analyst Relations
Luis Garza
+52 (81) 8888-4136
ir@cemex.com