Decarbonisation pathways for the Australian cement and concrete sector

Australia’s cement and concrete industry has long focused on reducing its environmental impact and, since 2000, Australian manufacturers and suppliers have steadily reduced CO2 emissions by 25%.

Yet, the challenge of decarbonising and meeting Australia’s net zero goals by 2050 requires further efforts and significant regulatory, technological, structural and behavioural changes across all segments of the cement and concrete value chain.

In 2021, the Cement Industry Federation (CIF), Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) and Smartcrete CRC commissioned renowned research centre VDZ to assess Australia’s cement and concrete value chain and identify key pathways for the industry to lower its CO2 emissions and decarbonise by 2050. Working closely with all project partners and taking existing initiatives into consideration, VDZ delivered a decarbonisation roadmap that outlines the following eight pathways for industry to reach net zero: -Zero emission electricity and transport

• New CO2 efficient cements
• Innovation through design and construction
• Alternative fuels and green hydrogen
• Further innovation in concrete
• Accounting for concrete to uptake CO2 (recarbonation)
• Increased use of supplementary cementitious materials in concrete
• Capture remaining CO2

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PROJECT PARTNERS

• Cement Industry Federation,
• Cement,
• Concrete and Aggregates Australia,
• RACE 2030 CRC