The UAE is making significant strides in adopting decarbonisation technology for the cement industry. At COP28 in December 2023, the UAE Ministry of Advanced Technology announced the country's Industrial Decarbonisation Roadmap to reduce CO2 emissions in the industrial sector to 2.9Gt by 2050. The roadmap evaluated over 50 decarbonisation methods for the cement and concrete sectors ahead of new legislation that has come into force to monitor and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The UAE has gathered the attention of climate change bodies for its high use of cement and concrete and its appetite for large building projects. Consultants AESG and the World Green Building Council have reported on the country's potential to carry the sustainability flag as the second largest cement producer in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the top ranked country in terms of CO2 emissions per capita for cement.
Of course, legislation is a major driving force of decarbonisation action in the UAE. Carbon emissions reporting is now activated by the country's Federal Law of 2024 on the Reduction of Climate Change Effects, which came into effect in May 2025. Local authorities and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment are establishing annual GHG reduction targets based on the reporting of GHG, including industries operating in free zones.
Industry change is also being driven in the UAE by overcapacity in the cement sector, the need to make the industry more energy efficient and decarbonisation goals. The wider call for decarbonisation technology solutions in the UAE has resulted in a burst of activity from cement and concrete producers.
Start-up partnerships for decarbonisation
The latest initiative by EMSTEEL will see it join Finnish company Magsort to implement an industrial-scale pilot project for decarbonised cement production at EMSTEEL’s Al Ain cement plant, UAE. Magsort has developed a process to extract all the steel left behind in steel slag while refining the remaining slag byproduct to produce zero-CO2 raw materials for the cement sector. Up to 35 per cent CO2 emissions are achievable with this process and Al Ain Cement plant can expect to increase its production by 20 per cent. The product has the potential to replace as much as 50 per cent of granulated blastfurnace slag (GBS), doubling the availability of material for low-CO2 cement.
The EMSTEEL drive for low-carbon cement is also a response to major competitors, such as Lafarge Emirates Cement LLC (Holcim), which is delivering its CEMPlus green cement in UAE. This has a CO2 emissions reduction of 5-10 per cent per tonne of cement produced. In addition, Cemex distributes its Vertua net-zero concrete, which claims a 70 per cent carbon footprint reduction. Furthermore, in February 2024 CarbonCure Technologies signed an agreement with multiple concrete plants, including Emirates Beton Ready Mix and Tremix.
Partnership agreements are crucial for decarbonisation solutions as the cement and concrete industry reaches out to new start-ups. In May 2025 this could be seen with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Exeed Industries and carbon-negative concrete pioneer Partanna. Partanna uses brine and slag from desalination and steel plants to generate new compounds that make a dry binding agent. The Partanna mix absorbs CO2 directly from the atmosphere. A typical 1250ft2 Partanna house avoids 182.6t of CO2, claims Partanna.
Sustainability reporting begins
While further decarbonisation collaborations are likely to feature in the UAE’s cement and concrete sector, sustainability reporting is now mandatory. UAE businesses must record their carbon footprints. Data is to be collected, reported, shared and recorded. Goals for specific sectors are yet to be defined. However, on top of mandatory emissions reporting, reduction mechanisms, adaptation plans and the creation of a national carbon credit agency are included as provisions within the new climate law. Penalties for non-compliance could amount to AED50,000-AED2m (US$13,600-544,600), according to Blue Marble.