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News Update on COP27

Update on COP27

Written by David Perilli, Global Cement 09 November 2022
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Readers may have noticed the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) is currently taking place at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Many of the cement companies, suppliers and related associations are present at the annual jamboree and getting stuck in. For example, Holcim’s chief sustainability officer Magali Anderson was scheduled on 8 November 2022 to discuss solutions to decarbonise the built environment at the event’s Building Pavilion, Cemex’s chief executive officer Fernando A González took part in the First Movers Coalition (FMC) panel, FLSmidth is down for a number of talks and both the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and World Cement Association are busy too.

Stone cold progress, if any, from the conference is yet to emerge although there is still time given that the event runs until 18 November 2022. No doubt some sort of ‘big message’ style international commitment or plan will emerge from the haggling. However, on the cement sector side, the biggest story so far has been the FMC plan for some of its members to procure at least 10% near-zero cement and concrete for its projects by 2030. Both Holcim and Cemex were founding members of the collation of companies that intend to use their purchasing power to support sustainable technologies in hard to abate sectors. Commitments for the aviation, shipping, steel and trucking sectors were set at COP26 in Glasgow, aluminium and CO2 removal followed in May 2022 and chemicals and concrete were scheduled for November 2022. The latter has started to happen with the formation of the FMC’s cement and concrete group. Companies involved include ETEX, General Motors, Ørsted, RMZ Corporation and Vattenfall. Of these, Sweden-based energy producer Vattenfall has publicly said it is going for the 10% near-zero cement and concrete target by 2030.

Company 2021 2030 Target Notes
Cemex 591 480 ESTIMATE, 40% less CO2/t of cementitious material compared to 1990
China Resources Cement 847 UNKNOWN Emission intensity is for clinker
CRH 586 UNKNOWN 25% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by 2030 (on a 2020 baseline)
Heidelberg Materials 565 500  
Holcim 553 475  
UltraTech Cement 582 483 ESTIMATE, Reduction in CO2 emission intensity by 27% from FY2017 level by FY2032
Votorantim 597 520  

Table 1: Net CO2 emission intensity (kgCO2/t) for cement production at selected large cement producers.

While we wait for more announcements to escape from Sharm El Sheikh it might be worth reflecting upon one of the targets some of the cement companies have set themselves for 2030. Table 1 above compares the net CO2 emission intensity for cement production at some of the large cement producers. It doesn’t tell us much, other than that the CO2 emission intensity for these companies was in the region of 550 - 600kgCO2/t of cementitious material in 2021. This compares to 580kgCO2/t in 2020 for the GCCA’s Getting the Numbers Right (GNR) data for the companies it covers. The companies featured in Table 1 are all aiming – or appear to be aiming – for 475 - 525kgCO2/t by 2030. This may not sound like much but it has and will require hard work, innovation, investment and risk on the part of the cement producers. This is also before carbon capture, utilisation and/or storage (CCUS) units will have been built at most cement plants. Yes, until the CO2 emission intensity goes to down to zero, if cement production volumes keep rising sufficiently then total gross CO2 emissions from the cement industry will also increase. Yet, gross CO2 emissions from cement production are likely to peak sometime between now and 2030 if they haven’t already.

One sobering fact to end with is that 1990 is now further in the past than 2050 is in the future. If you can remember George Bush Sr as US president or you saw the film Goodfellas at the cinema then that’s the amount of time we have left to reach net zero. The global economic shocks of the post-coronavirus period and the war in Ukraine are stressing the world’s climate targets more than ever before. Let’s see how COP27 reacts to this. So far though, serious commitments to using low-carbon cement and concrete from big companies are a useful step to entrenching these products in the market.

Last modified on 09 November 2022
Published in Analysis
Tagged under
  • COP27
  • Sustainability
  • target
  • net zero
  • GCW582
  • Holcim
  • Cemex
  • Heidelberg Materials
  • Votorantim Cimentos
  • CRH
  • China Resources Cement
  • UltraTech Cement
  • CCUS
  • CO2
  • First Movers Coalition
  • Global Cement and Concrete Association
  • GCCA
  • World Cement Association
  • FLSmidth
  • Vattenfall
  • Etex
  • Getting the Numbers Right
  • carbon capture
  • decarbonisation
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