Cement and concrete are the essential materials for delivering progress and building the resilient and sustainable communities our world needs.
Concrete (and its key binding ingredient of cement) is the backbone of modern society. It is the essential building material that provides everything from homes, schools, offices, transport networks and critical infrastructure – all of which are, and will continue to be, crucial to modern society. As our global population increases and urbanises, and in the face of a changing climate, concrete will be crucial in providing society the foundations of what it needs to prevail and prosper.
Despite concrete’s essential nature, our material is responsible for approximately 7% of global CO2 emissions. That is why in 2021, the global cement and concrete sector, led by the GCCA, committed to producing net zero concrete by 2050. This marked the first of the heavy industries to make such a commitment.
Progressing towards net zero
Our roadmap was the first net zero commitment of any of the so-called heavy industries, and sets out the detailed pathways, levers and milestones required to achieve this ambitious target. Together, the industry is committed to accelerating the shift to green concrete by cutting CO₂ emissions by a further 25% by 2030, and full decarbonisation by 2050.
What is clear though, despite the breadth of action and progress on our long-term project of deep decarbonisation, greater progress could be achieved today with the right policy support across the world to
underpin the transition.
Only by industry and government working together can we achieve our shared net-zero goal. We need policymakers around the world to act on a range of topics such as: helping to stimulate demand for low carbon cement and concrete, supporting the use of non-reusable and non-recyclable societal waste being safely treated and used as alternative for fossil fuels in our kilns, backing the use of supplementary materials, supporting circularity in the built environment, and both recognising and supporting the important role that technologies such as carbon capture use and storage can play in industrial decarbonisation.
Read our Cement Industry Net Zero Progress Report 2024/25 to learn more.
To fully unlock our industry’s decarbonisation efforts in this crucial decade to deliver, we urgently need effective policy support across a range of levers. When policymakers provide the right market conditions and policy enablers, significant CO2 reductions are achievable.
Fernando González
CEO of Cemex and GCCA President