Editorial comment
The GCCA recently released their ‘Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/6’, which – as the name suggests – provides an update on the cement industry’s progress towards net zero.
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The headline figure that came with this report was that the cement industry had achieved a 25% reduction in the CO2 intensity of cementitious products since 1990. That’s no mean feat, especially considering the challenges involved in decarbonising cement production, and it serves as clear evidence that changes can be made.
Equally, however, it doesn’t take a Fields Medal winner to see that the rate of change (25% over 35 years) isn’t going to be enough if the cement industry is to reach net zero by 2050. Indeed, in addition to highlighting progress made (including dozens of examples of exciting decarbonisation projects from around the world), the report clearly states the case for accelerating the decarbonisation process and maps out a series of policy recommendations to that end.
To quote Dominik von Achten, GCCA President and Chair of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials: “To achieve the industrial scale transformation that our world needs, we cannot do it by ourselves – our industry needs the support of governments, policymakers, stakeholders, and our allies across the built environment right now.”
Amongst the policy-asks, the report calls for the implementation of polices that promote the use of otherwise non-recyclable municipal and industrial waste as sustainable alternative fuels for cement plants, as well as the use of construction and demolition waste as recycled raw materials. The report also calls for building codes to be adapted to encourage the wider adoption of blended cement and concrete products, as well as the establishment of market-driven national carbon pricing mechanisms to incentivise decarbonisation and investments in innovation.
The cement industry has already proven its willingness to decarbonise and make use of every available lever, as shown by the host of projects in this report that cover everything from alternative fuels and energy sources, to CCUS, to low carbon concrete, circularity in design and construction, and more. And with the launch of Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik CCS plant earlier this year, the technology is no longer in question either. CCUS can no longer be counted alongside fusion power as something that’s ‘always 20 years away’ – it’s here and working at a cement plant in 2025.
The next step is to bring policy up to speed with technology. It has never more important for the cement industry to engage with policymakers and governments to underscore, not just cement’s importance as a foundation industry worthy of support, but its leadership in the broader process of industrial decarbonisation.
Join industry peers from around the world at Envirotech in London on 15 – 18 March, 2026 and hear from expert voices like the GCCA and leading cement producers as they share their insights into reaching net zero. Register today: www.worldcement.com/envirotech
