India’s cement market evolution and path to net zero
With the Indian cement market changing rapidly, demand is not only soaring, but the applications for which it is used are changing. Findings from a study by Mission Possible Partnership’s Concrete Action for Climate initiative, conducted in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, highlight that this evolution has substantial implications for the pathway to net zero, and decarbonisation plans must address the country’s present and future use of cement and concrete. By Yvonne Leung, World Economic Forum & Concrete Action for Climate (CAC) – Mission Possible Partnership (MPP), Switzerland, Andrew Minson, Global Cement and Concrete Association and CAC-MPP, UK, and Vikram Janakiraman, Boston Consulting Group, India.
Figure 1: snapshot of cement use in India
As the Indian economy grows, the domestic market for cement is changing rapidly, predicted to more than double between 2020-30. Not only is demand for cement soaring, the applications for which it is used are changing in parallel. Increasingly cement is being used for infrastructure and commercial purposes, rather than residential. As this shift occurs, bagged cement will increasingly be replaced with ready-mixed concrete (RMC). Higher strengths will be needed for structural purposes, and more industrialised and quality-controlled mixing techniques will be used.
