Efforts by the world’s leading cement companies knocked down carbon dioxide emissions from the industry’s manufacturing process by 35 percent even while production climbed by 53 per cent, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative.
 
The council’s Cement Sustainability Initiative released the findings in its report, "Cement Industry Energy and CO2 Performance: ’Getting the Numbers Right,’ " on Tuesday. The report represents the latest progress in an international effort to make cement production more environmentally friendly.
 
The group’s work includes development of a CO2 accounting and reporting protocol for the industry and creation of the global Getting the Numbers Right database of energy and emissions information. The resource enables the analysis and benchmarking of industry performance. It is managed by an independent third party on an open platform.
 
The percentages for production growth and the absolute net reduction in CO2 emissions resulted from the analysis of available data from 1990 and 2006. The findings are significant because they indicate a growing ability to "decouple" cement production from related emissions, as a result of comprehensive measurement and management throughout the manufacturing process.