The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has released its “Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/26”, outlining the sector’s decarbonisation progress and identifying the government policies required to further accelerate the transition to net zero.

The report, launched at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, presents updated global data confirming that the cement and concrete industry has reduced the CO₂ intensity of cementitious products by 25% since 1990. It also underscores the urgent need for enhanced governmental engagement to enable deeper and faster emissions reductions.

According to the report, the global industry continues to advance its decarbonisation agenda across all major levers, supported by innovation, collaboration, and new technologies. More than 60 flagship projects from around the world are highlighted, demonstrating active progress in carbon capture, the use of alternative fuels, deployment of renewable energy, circular approaches, and the adoption of new materials.

Dominik von Achten, GCCA President and Chairman of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials, stated:
“Industry partners across the world are collaborating and innovating along the entire value chain, deploying technologies that are already achieving meaningful change. However, large-scale transformation cannot be achieved by industry action alone. Governments, policymakers, and stakeholders across the built environment must act urgently to support this transition.”

The report stresses the need for policies that:

Facilitate the use of non-recyclable municipal and industrial waste as alternative fuels;
Encourage the use of construction and demolition waste as recycled raw materials;
Update building codes to permit broader adoption of blended cement and concrete products;
Establish market-based carbon pricing mechanisms that incentivise decarbonisation and clean innovation.

Thomas Guillot, GCCA Chief Executive, added:
“The scale and diversity of decarbonisation initiatives across our membership is remarkable. Cement and concrete remain indispensable materials for global development, but they must also be central to global decarbonisation efforts. Clear and consistent policy direction worldwide is essential to accelerating emissions reductions.”

Four years after the launch of its Net Zero Roadmap, the GCCA’s latest progress report confirms that the industry is delivering tangible results. Key developments showcased include:

1. CO₂ Reductions through Alternative Fuels and Materials

Projects demonstrate increased use of alternative fuels, decarbonated raw materials, energy-efficiency improvements, hydrogen utilisation, and early kiln electrification.
Examples include:

Fletcher’s Golden Bay plant and JSW’s Nandyal and Shiva plants;
Votorantim Cimentos’ pioneering use of biomass waste in Turkey, including corn stalks at its Yozgat plant and biomass in the calciner at its Hasanoğlan facility;
Limak Cement’s deployment of construction and demolition waste;
Molins’ commercialisation of calcined clay cement in Spain;
CIMPOR’s expansion of calcined clay production in Africa;
CRH’s Rohožník plant in Slovakia, which has improved clinker efficiency through a 20% substitution of raw materials.

2. Acceleration of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)

Aligned with the GCCA Roadmap—under which CCUS represents 36% of the sector’s planned emissions reductions—the industry is progressing rapidly.
Examples include:

The commissioning of the world’s first industrial-scale carbon-capture cement plant in Brevik, Norway, operated by Heidelberg Materials (June 2025);
Decarbonisation initiatives from Breedon, Cementir Holding, CNBM, GCC, Holcim, JCA, JSW, TITAN, and UltraTech.
All publicly announced projects are available via the GCCA/LeadIT Green Cement Technology Tracker.

3. Increased Use of Renewable and Low-Carbon Energy

Examples include:

Cemex’s solar energy advancements in Croatia;
UltraTech’s renewable energy project in Gujarat, India.

4. Lower-Carbon Concrete, Circularity, and Sustainable Construction

Notable projects include:

Holcim and Seqens’ completion of the Recygénie 220-unit social housing development in Paris—the world’s first building constructed with 100% recycled concrete;
Taiheiyo Cement’s CARBOCATCH system, which produces lower-carbon concrete using CO₂-absorbing waste materials.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, emphasised the critical timing of these developments:
“Concrete underpins global economic growth—from housing and transportation to energy and trade infrastructure. As demand rises, the importance of industrial decarbonisation has never been greater. Canada is proud of the progress achieved through the Cement and Concrete Breakthrough, and COP30 provides an opportunity to advance our first set of Priority Actions.”

Industry Emissions Data

The GCCA annually publishes its updated GNR (GCCA in NumbeRs) database, compiled by PwC and aligned with the Cement CO₂ and Energy Protocol. This global dataset, with records dating back to 1990, provides transparent, independently audited sustainability metrics for the sector.

Latest Available Data (2023)

Collected in 2025 and reflecting the CMA-required two-year data lag:

25% reduction in CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material vs. 1990;
12-fold increase in the use of alternative fuels since 1990;
18% improvement in energy efficiency;
10.68% reduction in the clinker-to-cementitious ratio since 1990.

Figures rounded; exact data and the full GNR database are available on the GCCA website.

About the GCCA

The GCCA and its members account the majority of global cement production capacity outside of China, as well as a growing number of Chinese manufacturers. Member companies have committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating CO2 emissions in concrete, which currently account for around 7% globally, through implementation of the GCCA’s Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap – the first heavy industry to set out such a detailed plan, Together, GCCA is committed to building a bright, resilient and sustainable concrete future for the industry and for the world.

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Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash