This video provides a comprehensive overview of why cement is one of the world’s largest CO2 emitters and maps the full range of technologies being developed to decarbonize it.
Key insights:
Cement production contributes 7–8% of global CO2 emissions, with roughly half coming unavoidably from the chemical breakdown of limestone during calcination and the other half from fossil fuels used to heat kilns to 1,450°C.
Clinker substitution using fly ash, slag, and calcined clay is the most commercially advanced solution, with LC3 cement cutting emissions by around 40% and already being adopted in India and Cuba.
More radical alternatives including geopolymer cements, magnesium-based carbon-absorbing binders, and electrochemical cement production at room temperature are emerging but remain niche or pre-commercial.
Carbon capture is being piloted at a Norwegian cement plant targeting 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year stored under the North Sea, while CO2 utilization in concrete mix actively mineralizes captured carbon into the structure, improving strength.
And major cement producers including Holcim and Heidelberg Materials have committed to net-zero by 2050, with government procurement mandates in Ireland, California, and New York beginning to pull green concrete into mainstream construction.