CEMBUREAU takes stock of Low Carbon Road map 2050 objectives

CEMBUREAU recently hosted its 'Low Carbon Roadmap Progress towards the 2°C target' in the European Parliament, where it gave an industry update to MEPs.

Five years ago the European cement industry published its Low Carbon Roadmap, outlining how CO₂ emissions could be reduced by 32 per cent (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050 with conventional technologies and potentially by 80 per cent if breakthrough technologies become widely available.

CEMBUREAU has now taken stock of where the cement industry is on its journey to 2050 and is exploring additional avenues to accelerate CO₂ reduction. The association claims, "We are on track!" But the breakthrough technologies need to be applied by 2030. Since 1990 when 783kg CO₂/t of cement were released, the reduction rate had fallen by 14 per cent to 674kg CO₂/t of cement in 2015. Conventional technologies are expected to reduce the 1990 level by 32 per cent to 530kg CO₂/t of cement by 2050.

However, if carbon capture technologies are applied by 2030, the industry could see 156kg CO₂/t of cement reached by 2050 – a reduction of 80 per cent, claims CEMBUREAU. The European cement association also requested an independent research house to assess the extent to which the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set for the European cement industry are sufficient to meet the temperature goals adopted by the Paris Agreement, ie to limit global temperatures rising above 2°C by the end of the century. The preliminary assessment using Science Based Target (SBT) methodologies indicated that the CEMBUREAU Roadmap was compliant with a number of SBT scenarios in its 2050 perspective and achieving the Paris Agreement objectives.

CEMBUREAU has also taken the opportunity to launch its new brochure 'Building carbon neutrality in Europe Engaging for concrete solutions' and a new Building for Tomorrow website that aims to show the progress of the our Roadmap and contribution for a low carbon future.

The Building for Tomorrow website lays out how the 5C approach of clinker, cement, concrete, construction and (Re)carbonation can lead to a low-carbon economy and build towards carbon neutrality.