Progress Built On Partnership

As urban populations are projected to grow by 68% by 2050, the demand for housing and infrastructure will also continue to rise. This growth naturally means greater cement and concrete consumption. Essential to modern construction, demand for concrete is expected to rise by 50% by 2050.

However, cement production carries a significant environmental cost. At the core of its carbon footprint is clinker, the key reactive component in cement, responsible for more than 90% of its emissions.

With the EU proposing a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, the cement and concrete industries must fundamentally transform their operations. This will be a big shift as production methods have remained largely unchanged for over two centuries.

The most direct and cost-effective way to decarbonise is by avoiding CO₂ emissions during cement production, rather than seeking to capture the emissions at the end of the manufacturing process. This is where supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) come into play.

Supplementary cementitious materials: primary solutions

SCMs are often industrial by-products, or naturally occurring materials, that partially replace clinker in cement. They contribute to concrete’s strength and durability through hydraulic or pozzolanic reactions. Common SCMs include natural pozzolans, calcined clays, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGFBS), fly ash, and silica fume, as well as emerging industrial residues. By incorporating a wider range of SCMs and using current ones more effectively, cement manufacturers can significantly reduce the clinker content in cement and concrete and drastically cut CO₂ emissions, all while maintaining performance.

Several converging factors make the increased adoption of SCMs not just beneficial, but essential.

Environmentally, there are huge upsides. Cement which incorporates SCMs can reduce the carbon content of cement substantially, generating 70% less CO₂ than traditional clinker-based cement. For example, GGBFS, a tried and tested SCM, has helped avoid an estimated 408 million t of CO₂ over the past two decades. GGBFS, a by-product of steel manufacturing, when incorporated into cement production, diverts a significant industrial by-product from landfill and simultaneously provides a more sustainable and often higher-performing alternative to traditional cement in concrete.

Moreover, the use of some SCMs supports circularity in construction. For example, recycled demolition waste was successfully used in the reconstruction of FC Barcelona’s stadium, demonstrating that sustainable cement solutions can scale to high-profile projects.

There are also financial considerations. Carbon pricing and emissions trading schemes are making clinker production increasingly expensive, while alternative net-zero strategies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), remain costly and complex.

In contrast, the use of SCMs requires minimal changes to cement manufacturing processes or construction practices and come without a sizeable green premium.

From a regulatory perspective, policies like the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and national net-zero commitments are pushing the industry toward greener materials. In parallel, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has outlined a clear roadmap to 2050 that includes the widespread adoption of SCMs.

However, widespread adoption is not without its challenges. Existing regulations and standards across the EU have not fully evolved to permit higher SCM usage or the inclusion of new materials. This regulatory lag slows innovation and market availability and over time exposes countries to large fines for non-compliance with climate targets.

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/special-reports/11082025/progress-built-on-partnership/