The CarbonZero Industrial Decarbonization Project of the Year Award honors a specific, large-scale initiative that has demonstrated measurable, pioneering impact in reducing carbon emissions within the “hard-to-abate” heavy industry sectors.

To ensure a fair, transparent, and rigorous evaluation process, all nominations must fulfill the following criteria:

1. Eligible Nominees & Scope

  • Sector Focus: The project must be directly tied to the infrastructure, manufacturing, or supply chain of the cement, concrete, construction materials, or heavy construction sectors.

  • Entity Types: Nominations are open to cement producers, building material manufacturers, construction technology providers, engineering firms, and collaborative industrial partnerships.

  • Project Maturity: The project cannot be purely theoretical. It must be either fully operational, a scaled-on-site pilot, or a commercial-scale deployment that has yielded verifiable data within the past 12 to 24 months.

2. Technical Focus Areas

To be eligible, the project must demonstrate innovation and deployment in at least one (or a combination) of the following core pillars of industrial decarbonization:

  • Alternative Fuels (AF): Scaling the transition from coal/fossil fuels to waste-derived solutions, biomass, biofuels, or hydrogen readiness, achieving high thermal substitution rates.

  • Circular Raw Materials & Clinker Substitution: Redefining industrial/municipal waste as a resource, or scaling low-clinker formulations (e.g., LC3, alternative supplementary cementitious materials – SCMs).

  • Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS): Implementation of landmark carbon capture pilots, transport infrastructure, or utilization technologies.

  • Process & Energy Innovation: Deep electrification, hybrid thermal systems, kiln optimization, or AI-driven digital monitoring for emissions reduction.

3. Evaluation Pillars (Submission Requirements)

Nominations must provide clear, data-driven evidence across the following four evaluation categories:

Pillar Requirement Details
Measurable Impact Quantifiable reduction in carbon intensity (of product) or total emissions avoided.
Scalability & Viability Evidence that the technology or methodology can be scaled up or replicated across other plants/regions.
Technical Ingenuity Clear explanation of how the project overcame traditional operational, chemical, or engineering limitations.
Industry Leadership Proof of systemic impact—such as driving new policy standards, local community engagement, or circular economy partnerships.

4. Exclusion Criteria

Projects will be disqualified if they:

  • Rely entirely on carbon offset mechanisms rather than direct, structural emissions reductions.

  • Are in the conceptual or early-stage laboratory research phase (without on-site application).

  • Fail to provide transparent data or verification methods for their environmental claims.

Submission Checklist

To apply, nominations must include:

  • Project Name, Location, and Coordinating Organizations and Managers

  • A written description of the project (maximum 500 words).

  • Verifiable metrics demonstrating data-driven impact.

  • 5 to 10 high-resolution photos (300 dpi) documenting the operational project on-site.

Deadline: August 20

For criteria on the Leadership Award, please check the dedicated post on our News Section.

Other events in 2026:

– Industry 5.0 Smart Solutions Global Conference & Exhibition – Date: November 24-25, 2026, Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil – rescheduled from 10-11 June

This event to be held alongside the ESG & Sustainability Summit will tackle use of large-scale machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments to provide increased automation, improved communication and self-monitoring, as well as smart machines that can analyze and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention, monitoring or presence.

The robot and smart machines working alongside people with added resilience and sustainability goals included, adding environmental, social and human aspects are added for an enhanced Industry 5.0 approach on performance. We are also including panel discussions and promoting exhibitions for at the event.

– ESG and Sustainability International Summit – Date:  November 24-25, 2026; Location: Sao Paulo, Brazilescheduled from 10-11 June

A premier regional platform for industry leaders to discuss sustainability, ESG strategies, and regulatory advancements in cement and construction. This event brings together thought leaders and corporate professionals from around the world to explore the latest trends in sustainable finance, legal frameworks, and industry innovations including scope 3 decarbonization strategies for data center construction.

The event is high level global platform accelerating the transition to Net Zero in cement and construction, covering alternative fuels, raw materials, clinker substitution, carbon capture, financing, policy, and standards.

The event is designed to inspire, educate, and empower corporate attendees to drive sustainable progress and create a positive impact on our planet and society, previous editions were held in Madeira, Portugal and Cairo, Egypt in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

– Cementitious Materials International Technical & Trade Congress – MEA

📅 8-9 December, 2026 | 📍 Marrakech, Morocco

The MEA edition of the Cementitious Materials International technical and Trade Congress is poised to build om success stories of past events – the first edition was held in Casablanca, Morocco in April 2024 and the second edition was also held in Cairo earlier this year. This is once again an opportunity to network with your peers and leaders in the industry, gain first-hand insights on regional trends, learn from industry experts about the latest market dynamics, regulatory changes and future outlook of cementitious materials in the region. S