Cemex, in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and a group of leading companies in the building, equipment, and energy industries- announced the release of "Transforming the Market: Energy Efficiency in Buildings”, a new research report of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project.

Based on extensive research, the report presents a transformation plan for the building sector and a roadmap for making the required 60% reduction in energy used in buildings in order to meet the global climate change progress called for by the widely recognized Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Buildings currently account for approximately 40% of the world’s energy use, more than any other sector, and are a major contributor to climate change. In addition, it is estimated that total energy consumption in buildings will dramatically rise by 2050 along with the increase in the number of people with higher living standards. In order to achieve a more energy-efficient world, a major, coordinated and global effort is crucial to eventually arrive at a point in which buildings produce or recover all the energy they require.

“CEMEX’s commitment to sustainability remains solid and we are proud to collaborate with industry leaders in order to promote energy efficiency in buildings,” said Lorenzo Zambrano, CEMEX Chairman and CEO. “Sustainable construction presents a huge opportunity for our industry and cement and concrete have an important role to play in meeting the sustainable building standards of the future.”

The report covers four, key ‘sub-sectors’ of building types: single-family homes, multi-family homes, offices and retail complexes which collectively account for more than half of all the energy used by buildings. It highlights the need to immediately begin aggressively reducing energy use in new and existing buildings in order to reduce the planet’s energy-related carbon footprint and to stabilize CO2 levels.