From Goa, India, it was reported in July that the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) jointly launched a new tracker to help policymakers, industry experts, academics and the public monitor worldwide decarbonization efforts in the cement industry.
The Green Cement Technology Tracker (GCTT) was unveiled at an international inter-governmental meeting focused on clean energy, which took place in India.
Cement and concrete are vital to the built environment, used for homes, infrastructure and to provide things like clean running water. But 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 decarbonize. The launch of the CCTT is regarded as the next step along the industry’s roadmap.
“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,” says Per Andersson, Head of the LeadIT Secretariat.
The tracker currently includes Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture Utilization 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.
Carbon capture projects are picking up pace across the world
“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,” adds Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the GCCA.
The tracker will be instrumental in assessing progress and ensuring transparency of low-carbon cement technologies, initially carbon capture and, in the future, complementary efforts to reduce emissions from cement manufacturing.
According to the parties involved, preliminary data from the CGTT reveals that 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. Approximately half of the announced CCS and CCUS projects disclose their expected capture volumes. Post-combustion capture technology is currently the most common investment.
The GCCA and its members account for 80% of global cement production capacity outside of China, as well as some key Chinese manufacturers. In turn, LeadIT brings together countries and companies committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from industry by 2050 and is supported by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The tracker’s content is derived from public sources, and any confidential projects may not be represented in it.
