The cement industry, a top emitter, is making efforts to significantly decarbonize the industry, as it is currently aiming to produce net-zero cement and concrete by 2050. A combination of interventions will be required to achieve this ambitious goal, including increasing eneergy effiicency and electrification, CCUS, alternative fuels, and material substitution.
The cement industry is a significant global emitter, accounting for 8% of global emissions, making it one of the largest contributors of any single industry. To incentivize emission reductions, the Global Cement and Concrete Association has set a net-zero target of 2050, with an interim target of a 25% by 2030. However, according to the IEA, the sector is not currently on track to meet this goal.
Company-level commitments to emission reduction vary strongly across the sector, with only a handful of cement producers committing to net-zero targets in 2050 that encompass scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Similarly, engagement with emission reduction pathways such as alternative fuels, CCUS, and electrification is predominantly restricted to the largest industry players.
Cement and concrete represent one of the most difficult to decarbonize sectors globally, with process emissions accounting for over 50% of the sector’s carbon footprint. In addition, high thermal energy requirements have so far limited the role of electrification and renewable energy. However, a number of companies are developing innovative electric heat techniques to work alongside and eventually replace conventional cement kilns.
Other decarbonization technologies that will be key to achieving emissions reduction include supplementary cementitious material, alternative fuels, and CCUS. These technologies are currently in varying stages of development and implementation, and some continue to face issues of high costs as well as raw material availability. Measures to improve efficiency by minimizing energy losses and recycling by-products are currently the most widely used emission reduction techniques.
The cement industry is a significant global emitter, accounting for 8% of global emissions, making it one of the largest contributors of any single industry. To incentivize emission reductions, the Global Cement and Concrete Association has set a net-zero target of 2050, with an interim target of a 25% by 2030. However, according to the IEA, the sector is not currently on track to meet this goal.
Company-level commitments to emission reduction vary strongly across the sector, with only a handful of cement producers committing to net-zero targets in 2050 that encompass scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Similarly, engagement with emission reduction pathways such as alternative fuels, CCUS, and electrification is predominantly restricted to the largest industry players.
Cement and concrete represent one of the most difficult to decarbonize sectors globally, with process emissions accounting for over 50% of the sector’s carbon footprint. In addition, high thermal energy requirements have so far limited the role of electrification and renewable energy. However, a number of companies are developing innovative electric heat techniques to work alongside and eventually replace conventional cement kilns.
Other decarbonization technologies that will be key to achieving emissions reduction include supplementary cementitious material, alternative fuels, and CCUS. These technologies are currently in varying stages of development and implementation, and some continue to face issues of high costs as well as raw material availability. Measures to improve efficiency by minimizing energy losses and recycling by-products are currently the most widely used emission reduction techniques.
Key Highlights
- Concrete is the second most consumed resource in the world after potable water and is the number one building material.
- On average, the cement industry accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and, as a country, would be the fourth largest contributor to emissions globally.
- According to the UN, three quarters of infrastructure that will exist in 2050 has yet to be built, so decarbonization solutions are essential to ensure net-zero targets can be met.
- The cement industry represents a significant source of industrial emissions and would rank fourth globally if considered as a country, emphasising the importance of its decarbonization.
- As a result, the IEA estimates that cement emissions would need to decrease by 3% each year between 2022 and 2030 to align with the net-zero scenario. However, the sector is not currently considered on track for this trajectory.
- The cement industry currently ranks as the third largest contributor to upcoming carbon capture capacity, with 62 projects aiming to start operations by the end of the decade. This represents a significant uptick in project activity in comparison to the 9 projects in operation by year-end 2024.
Report Scope
- Global CO2 emissions from the cement and concrete industry, relevant policies for the decarbonization of the industry, analysis of major importers and exporters of cement, analysis of different decarbonizing initiatives such as increasing efficiency/ electrification, use of alternative fuels, CCUS, and material substitution.
Reasons to Buy
- Identify the market trends within the industry and assess what the biggest players in cement production are doing to reduce emissions.
- Develop market insight of the major technologies used to decarbonize the industry, as well as the policy framework laid out by governments.
- Understand the role major exporters and importers play in decarbonizing the industry and which strategies they should adopt going forward.
- Facilitate the understanding of what is happening within hard to abate industries as they look to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Cement and Concrete Emissions
- CO₂ emissions in the cement industry
- Cement emission requirements for a net-zero scenario
- Cement plant project outlook
- Cement and Concrete Net-Zero Strategies
- Net-zero targets
- Scope 1 & 2 emissions performance
- Decarbonizing Cement and Concrete
- The top four emission reduction pathways
- Timelines for decarbonization technology adoption
- Macro challenges for decarbonization
- Energy Efficiency and Electrification
- Improving energy efficiency
- Case studies
- Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
- Cement-based CCUS capacity outlook
- Technology trends
- Key players
- Alternative Fuels
- The case for alternative fuels
- Key players
- Material Substitution and Novel Concrete
- Alternative materials
- Novel concrete case studies
- Contact the Publisher
- Net-zero targets for cement companies
- Scope 1 and 2 emission reduction ranking for major cement companies
- Sources of emissions from cement
- Global annual carbon emissions by fuel or industry type, 1980 - 2024
- Direct emissions intensity of cement production in net-zero scenario
- Distribution of cement plant construction projects
- The top four emission reduction pathways for cement and concrete
- Decarbonization technology timelines for adoption
- Five macro challenges that will pose a barrier to decarbonization
- Contribution to cement and concrete net-zero by 2050
- CCS outlook for cement and concrete industry, 2020 - 2030
- Breakdown of cement CCUS capacity by technology
- Breakdown of capacity by post-combustion sub-technology
- Leading players in CCUS project activity within the cement industry by capacity
- Leading players in CCUS project activity within the cement industry by project spend
- The biggest recipients of government funding for cement-based CCUS projects
- Global thermal energy intensity of clinker production by fuel in 2022
- Reported alternative fuel rates among cement producers
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- CRH plc
- Taiwan Cement Corporation
- Heidelberg Materials
- Holcim
- Aditya Birla Group
- Ambuja Cements
- Cemex
- Anhui Conch Cement Company
- Siam Cement Group
- Buzzi SpA
- UltraTech Cement
- Coolbrook
- SaltXTechnology
- Climeon
- Scwenk Zement GmbH
- Titan SA
- Linde plc
- Cementir Holding NV
- Vicat SA
- L’Air Liquide SA
- Petroceltic Bulgaria EOOD
- CarbonFree Chemicals Holdings
- Zachry Construction Corp
- Calix Ltd
- Grasim Industries Ltd
- Hoffman Green Cement
- Brimstone
- CarbonCure
- Carbon8
