White House memo highlight US pledges for low-carbon cement

A White House memo reports that companies, state and local governments in the USA are making new pledges to use low-carbon cement. The commitments are from New York State, New York City, Los Angeles, Michigan and Washington, cement producers and major tech companies such as Amazon and real estate companies.

The memo states that New York State vows to cut emissions from concrete in the state infrastructure by 30 per cent by 2028, compared to 2022 emissions data from the National Ready Mix Concrete Association. Los Angeles will reduce emissions by 15 per cent for new infrastructure construction.

The pledges come following concerns that heavy industries are not reducing emissions fast enough to meet climate targets.

"The production of construction material is a major source of pollution," the White House said. "These new commitments will advance the Biden-Harris Administration efforts to make US manufacturing the cleanest and most competitive in the world, boosting US economic competitiveness and creating good-paying jobs.

Eco Material Technologies CEO Grant Quasha applauded the pledges and said: “Today’s announcement out of the White House was a great first step in the right direction as we continue to build a pathway to decarbonise construction materials.