Displaying items by tag: Cement Association of Canada

Canada: The government and the Cement Association of Canada have published the ‘Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon Concrete by 2050.’ The document details how cement and concrete producers and legislators could achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions from the cement and concrete sector by 2050. The joint government-industry working group next plans to release an action plan explaining how the sector will reduce its CO₂ emissions by up to 40% by 2030 and a plan for research and development required to meet the 2050 target. The country’s cement and concrete industry says it has committed to reducing over 15Mt of greenhouse gases cumulatively by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2050.

“Decarbonising concrete is a necessity, and Canada’s cement and concrete industry has demonstrated that it is up to the task. This roadmap demonstrates our industry’s leadership in CO₂ emissions reduction and positions us to achieve our goal of net-zero cement by 2050,” said Marie Glenn, chair of the Cement Association of Canada. Association president and chief executive officer Adam Auer added, “While we are steadfast in our commitment to reduce our emissions by 15MT cumulatively by 2030 and reach true net-zero by 2050, we know we can’t do it alone. Together in collaboration with government we will continue to support the innovation and investment needed on our path to delivering net-zero concrete, while at the same time preserving its properties as a durable, resilient, versatile, and cost-effective material.”

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has appointed Sarah Petrevan as its Director of Sustainability. She previously worked as the Policy Director for Clean Energy Canada and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. She is a graduate of Victoria University in Toronto.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) has appointed Adam Auer as its next president and chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from the start of April 2022. He will succeed long-standing president and CEO Michael McSweeney, who has held the post for 12 years. McSweeney will remain as a strategic advisor to Adam Auer until the end of June 2022.

Auer holds over 20 years’ experience as a sustainability professional working with public, private and non-profit institutions. As the CAC’s Vice President of Environment and Sustainability he has worked with government, industry, environmental and other civil society groups to promote and enhance concrete’s contribution to sustainability, with a specific emphasis on life cycle approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Prior to joining the CAC in 2012, Auer managed Environment Canada’s Corporate Environmental Innovation initiative, a multi-stakeholder program to promote the business and financial case for corporate environmental leadership and the link between sustainability and an innovative and competitive economy. He holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University and a Bachelor of Science in Ecology from the University of British Columbia.

Little trickles of detail about the European Union’s (EU) proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) started to emerge last week. The key bit of information that Bloomberg managed to squeeze out of their source was that a transition period with a simplified system is being considered from 2023 and then a full version could turn up in 2026. Cement importers, and those in selected other heavy industries, would be required to buy electronic emission certificates at prices corresponding to those in the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS). Other titbits include: that the prices will be set on a weekly basis based on the average carbon permit price within the EU that week; a default value will be devised for importers who can’t back up their emissions data; and imports from a country with its own carbon pricing scheme will be entitled to a discount. The plans are due to be made public in mid-July 2021. Debate is then expected to follow before approval will be required from the European Parliament and member states.

The detail isn’t out there yet but the CBAM is set to collide with trade agreement territory. For example, how the draft agreement tackles issues such as exports from Europe and whether importers should be compensated for not receiving a free allocation of carbon credits could be seen to offer competitive advantage to one party or another. Climate policy will clash with trade policy once or if the CBAM makes in into law. At this point countries that import cement into the EU may start trying to negotiate or complaining to the World Trade Organisation. One previous example of climate policy bashing into trade agreements is when the EU tried and failed to apply the ETS to aviation in the early 2010s. The experience from this incident is expected to inform the European Commission’s approach on the CBAM.

Outside the EU, new carbon pricing schemes have been popping up all over the place and various cement associations are creating or refining their own carbon neutral plans. Last week in North America, for example, the Cement Association of Canada said it was working with the government on launching a roadmap by the end of 2021. In the US, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) has also been hard at work to publish its own roadmap by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, over in the oil sector there were a couple of victories for activist shareholders in May 2021 with Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron all being forced to make changes to their climate change polices by courts and activist investors. This makes one wonder how long it will be before the same thing happens to cement companies.

All this increases the pressure between trading agreements and climate legislation. One of the questions that has popped up at Global Cement’s webinar series has been whether attendees thought that a global carbon pricing and/or trading scheme might be a realistic position or not (the majority said ‘yes’ within 20 years). Yet the EU CBAM, all these sustainability plans and continued pressure by investor activist don’t happen in isolation. They occur in an interconnected world.

So it was both non-surprising and eye-popping to discover recently that a private carbon exchange is being prepared in Singapore for a launch by the end of 2021. Climate Impact X (CIX) is being backed by DBS Bank, Singapore Exchange, Standard Chartered and the Singapore-government owned investment company Temasek. As for which companies would actually voluntarily enter into a scheme that would actively reduce profits, the answer lies above. Any organisation looking to trade between carbon pricing jurisdictions might well have an economic incentive to find a truly international scheme that was reputable. Or, perhaps, a publicly owned company dealing in carbon-intensive products might be bullied into one by its activist investors. The focus on such an exchange being reputable is essential here, given the potentially large amounts of money that could be involved and the mixed views on existing carbon offsetting schemes. CIX says it will use satellite monitoring, machine learning and blockchain technology to ensure the integrity of its carbon credits and this is certainly thinking in the right direction. Until it arrives though, we wait to see the detail on the EU CBAM.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) and the government have published a joint statement detailing their plant to develop a roadmap to net-zero carbon concrete. When launched in December 2021, the roadmap will provide Canadian cement producers with the policies, tools and technologies to contribute to the achievement of net-zero concrete by 2050. The plans will cover areas including: supporting the low-emissions building materials supply chain, building an innovative opportunities framework and engaging stakeholders. According to the statement, the roadmap will offer total potential CO₂ reduction of 15Mt by 2030, and 4.0Mt/yr thereafter.

The partnership will establish a CAC-led Industry-Government Working Group in collaboration with the National Research Council the Standards Council of Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Among its tasks will be the publication of updated environmental product declarations.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) and Rediscover Concrete have issued a joint declaration to the federal government in which they urge it to absorb the costs of state infrastructure projects and put construction ‘at the core of the COVID-19 recovery plan.’

CAC president and chief executive officer (CEO) Michael McSweeney said, “A successful economic recovery will require a commitment to use time-sensitive infrastructure spending. We have a very short construction season in Canada and municipalities have lost much of their financial capacity to fund important infrastructure projects this year. We need the federal government to help municipalities get local community infrastructure projects going to boost economic activity and public confidence.”

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has supported emission reduction schemes in Alberta and Ontario. The Albertan provincial government has released its overarching policy framework for the Output-based Allocation System and the Ontario government has run its fourth and final cap and trade auction before formally linking with California and Quebec in 2018.

The introduction of an Output-based Allocations (OBA) System in January 2018 will transition Alberta’s regulated facilities from the current Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (SGER). The OBA will set an industry specific performance benchmark for emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries (EITEs), which includes the province’s two cement plants, Lafarge in Exshaw and Lehigh in Edmonton. The benchmark combined with output-based allocations is intended to drive best-in-class performance while maintaining the competitiveness of industries in Alberta.

Ontario raised US$330m bringing total proceeds from the system to date to around US$1.5bn. The proceeds are to be reinvested into initiatives that will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“From the cement industry’s perspective, the framework demonstrates that the Alberta government understands the pressures EITE industries face to remain competitive in the global market. Climate change is the single most important issue facing our society today and Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan lays the foundation for industries to play a major role in assisting government in meeting its 2030 targets and transitioning to a low carbon economy,” said Michael McSweeney, President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Cement Association of Canada.

With respect to Ontario he added that the Canadian cement industry believes that cap and trade systems are the most effective means of delivering environmental results while putting a price on carbon. “Linkage with California and Quebec is also an important feature of the Ontario system: the broader the market, the more likely it will be that price will reflect the true incremental cost of reducing emission,” said McSweeney.

Canada: Representatives from the Canadian cement and concrete industries have met with government ministers, members of parliament, senators and civil servants in Ottawa, Ontario as part of a two-day advocacy event.

"The cement and concrete industry is uniquely positioned to help all levels of government in Canada achieve their climate change priorities, while also ensuring best value for money invested," said Michael McSweeney, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Cement Association of Canada.

More than 60 industry delegates hailing from across the country and industries have gathered for the event. The delegation includes the CEOs of Canada's cement industry and representatives from the ready mixed concrete, insulated concrete forms, masonry, precast concrete and precast concrete pipe sectors. They hope to highlight the economic and lifecycle benefits of their products to legislators.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has congratulated the province of British Columbia on the release of its Climate Leadership Plan. The plan describes how industry can assist the government in meeting its 2050 targets. The association welcomes the commitment of the provincial government to mandate the use of Portland-limestone cement (PLC) in concrete used in the construction of public infrastructure projects. Using PLC is expected to deliver a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the use of ordinary Portland cement.

“With today's release of the Climate Leadership Plan, the province of British Columbia has laid out a framework to work collaboratively with individuals, local governments, business and industry in finding ways to address climate change,” said Michael McSweeney, President and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada.

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada has become a member of the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) as a strategic partner. The CPLC is a voluntary initiative that supports and encourages the implementation of carbon pricing around the world. It was initiated by the World Bank at the 2014 United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York City and officially launched in 2015 at COP21 in Paris.

“Well designed carbon pricing systems can drive innovation and prepare companies and communities to prosper in a competitive, low carbon and climate resilient economy,” said Michael McSweeney, President and CEO, Cement Association of Canada. “We have long advocated for carbon pricing in Canada and globally and are eager to continue our work with the federal and provincial governments to help them design and implement climate policies that support the goals of the Paris Agreement, protect and enhance the competitiveness of the domestic industry and promote alignment on carbon pricing among our trading partners.”