A combination of technology and policy solutions could provide a pathway to reducing direct carbon dioxide emissions from the cement industry by 24% below current levels by 2050, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI).  

The technology roadmap, called Low-Carbon Transition in the Cement Industry, updates the first global –sectoral roadmap produced in 2009. It aims to identify and develop international collaborative efforts and provide evidence for public and private sector decision-makers to move towards a more sustainable cement sector that can contribute to long-term climate goals.

The cement sector is the third-largest industrial energy consumer in the world, responsible for 7% of industrial energy use, and the second industrial emitter of carbon dioxide, with about 7% of global emissions. Cement is the key ingredient of concrete – which is used to build homes, schools, hospitals and infrastructure, all of which are important for quality of life, social and economic wellbeing.