A new tracker has been launched to help policymakers, industry experts, academics, and the public monitor worldwide decarbonisation efforts in the cement industry.
The Green Cement Technology Tracker was unveiled by The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) at an international inter-governmental meeting on clean energy.
While cement and concrete are vital to the built environment, used for homes, infrastructure and to provide things like clean running water, the sector also accounts for 7% of global CO2 emissions.
With the launch of the GCCA’s Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap, it became the first heavy industry to set out a clear plan on how to decarbonise.
The launch of the Green Cement Technology Tracker is being billed as the “next step” along the industry’s roadmap.
‘Picking up pace’
Per Andersson, head of the Secretariat – LeadIT, said: “In order to empower the industry and policymakers committed to emission reductions, our goal is to provide comprehensive tracking of public announcements of investments in low-carbon cement technologies.”
The Green Cement Technology Tracker currently includes Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), accounting for 36% of planned reduction levers in the GCCA 2050 Roadmap for Net Zero Carbon Concrete that leading manufacturers have committed to.
Future steps to enhance the tracker include expanding its scope to cover more technologies that reduce emissions from cement manufacturing.
Thomas Guillot, chief executive of the GCCA said: “Unleashing technology such as CCUS is key to achieving our net-zero mission in our sector.
“Carbon capture pilots, projects, and announcements are picking up pace across the world.
“This technology works, and our next goal is to scale up, working with stakeholders such as governments and the investment community to help transform the industry worldwide.”
The Tracker will be used to assess progress being made in decarbonisation the cement industry and ensuring the transparency of low-carbon cement technologies.
Preliminary data from the Green Cement Technology Tracker shows initiatives for carbon capture technologies are underway worldwide – predominantly in Europe, followed by Asia, North and South America, and Australia.
Full-scale operational carbon capture plants are expected to come on stream in the coming years.
The Global Cement and Concrete Association also recently launched on-demand Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for concrete producers in North America.
According to the GCCA, the new service will enable concrete producers to quickly, accurately, and cost effectively produce verified EPDs of their products.
Image: KAMONRAT/Shutterstock
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