Sustainability Maturity Assessment: Benchmarking in Brazilian Cement Plants Using Fuzzy Multi-criteria Methods

Abstract The cement industry is a resource-intensive, hard-to-abate sector characterized by high energy consumption, process-related greenhouse gas emissions (mainly CO2), and a strong reliance on natural resources. Despite increasing pressure to decarbonize and adopt circular-economy practices, integrated approaches for assessing plant-level sustainability maturity remain limited, particularly in emerging economies. This study develops and applies a sustainability maturity assessment and benchmarking framework for Brazilian cement plants using fuzzy multi-criteria methods. The research adopts a three-phase design. First, the Fuzzy Delphi method validates sustainability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) adapted to the Brazilian cement industry context. Second, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) determines the relative importance of the validated KPIs. Third, the framework is empirically applied to five integrated cement production units to assess sustainability maturity across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The results show that all tested production units operate within an Acceptable sustainability maturity level, although significant asymmetries exist across the sustainability pillars. Environmental performance is mainly driven by emissions-control practices, while energy efficiency and circular-material use remain important bottlenecks. Economic performance shows strong revenue growth, but also inefficiencies in logistics and maintenance costs. In the social dimension, occupational health and safety practices are more mature than employee training and stakeholder engagement. The proposed framework supports plant-level benchmarking, prioritization of sustainability improvements, and policy development for low-carbon industrial transitions mainly in emerging economies.