Swiss cement industry targets carbon neutrality by 2050

The Swiss cement industry aims to become climate neutral by 2050. To achieve this, the Swiss cement association, Cemsuisse, has published its “Roadmap 2050: Klimaneutraler Zement as Ziel” [Climate-neutral cement as a goal] report. A key pathway would be the availability of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) systems.

While Cemsuisse members were already involved “in various projects in different stages of development”, the industry association said that “However, none of our members want to make a specific statement, also because these projects are being developed with various partners such as universities and technology companies and are subject to non-disclosure agreements.”

In terms of CCUS the association also highlighted that the timescale of a complete project – from development to approval and construction “takes a few years” with a complete CCS plant requiring an investment running into three-digit million sums. Therefore, the technology would not be economically viable for a long time, said Cemsuisse. "It would therefore make sense to support such projects with funding for project development and start-up financing for implementation, for example with funds from the climate fund," according to Cemsuisse.

The plan to become carbon neutral by 2050 would further be supported by measures such as the complete replacement of fossil fuels by alternative fuels and new types of cement with a lower clinker factor.