The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) used COP30 in Belém to call for closer industry collaboration on decarbonisation and to launch its Net Zero Action & Progress Report 2025/26, reaffirming its commitment to the 2050 Net Zero Roadmap under the Paris Agreement. Drawing on its independently audited GNR database, the report highlights a 25 per cent global reduction in CO2 intensity per tonne of cementitious material since 1990.
While this represents measurable progress, it also needs to be viewed in the context of sharply rising global production over the same period, driven largely by infrastructure investment in fast-growing economies. Therefore, the sector faces the dual challenge of sustaining intensity reductions while meeting continued demand for cement and concrete.
A central element of the GCCA roadmap remains carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), which is expected to deliver 36 per cent of total sector emissions reductions by mid-century, equivalent to around 1.37bnta of CO2. By comparison, alternative binders and clinker substitution currently account for a much smaller share of planned abatement. The GCCA notes that around 40 commercial-scale CCUS projects are under development globally, including Heidelberg Materials’ Brevik project in Norway, which became the world’s first industrial-scale carbon capture cement plant in 2025. However, deployment remains constrained by cost, policy uncertainty and infrastructure availability.
Beyond CCUS, the GCCA report documents progress across other decarbonisation levers, including greater use of alternative fuels, improvements in energy efficiency, increased clinker substitution and the commercialisation of lower-carbon cements such as calcined clay-based blends. It also calls for stronger government support, including changes to building codes, carbon pricing mechanisms and incentives for waste-derived fuels and recycled construction materials.
Claims that progress has stalled should also be considered in context. While International Energy Agency data indicate that emissions intensity plateaued at around 0.58t of CO2/t of cement between 2018 and 2022, more recent project activity suggests renewed momentum. A joint Mission Possible Partnership and Industrial Transition Accelerator study identifies over 1000 clean industrial projects globally, with around half located in developing economies, including dozens focussed on low-carbon cement.
Nevertheless, regional disparities persist. Speaking at Cemtech Europe in Barcelona, independent consultant Jim O’Brien highlighted the lack of policy harmonisation and the varying pace of decarbonisation across regions. He argued that focussing solely on net zero risks oversimplifying the challenge and suggested that a broader “net positive” approach, linking emissions reduction with resource efficiency, circularity and development support, may be more realistic for some markets, particularly Africa.
In most industry debates, there is growing recognition that decarbonisation pathways must remain flexible, regionally appropriate and economically viable.
Therefore, the most pragmatic way forward is a parallel strategy: accelerate immediately available solutions – alternative fuels, SCMs, calcined clays, circularity and efficiency – while scaling up CCUS where supportive policy and infrastructure exist. Progress has clearly been made, but sustaining momentum will require stronger policy alignment, continued investment and a realistic acknowledgement of regional differences as the cement industry moves deeper into its transition.
