The World Cement Association (WCA) released its Climate Action Plan, which outlines measures to help association members develop climate protection strategies and develop best practices. The full details of the plan will be presented on Dec. 5 in London at the WCA World Cement Conference, in association with Intercem.
“Together with all our members, we step forward to lead the cement industry toward low-carbon production and a carbon-neutral built environment,” said Zhi Ping Song, WCA president. “We aim to provide a framework that will enable all cement companies, including smaller ones and those in developing markets, to embrace best practice by granting them access to shared knowledge and support.”
WCA supports the Paris Agreement objective of limiting global climate warming well below 2 degrees by 2100 versus pre-industrial times. The association’s Climate Action Plan focuses on five key areas of collective action that were identified during the WCA Global Climate Change Forum, held in Paris earlier this year.
Transparency of greenhouse gas emissions. Monitoring and reporting of CO2emissions in the cement sector still has to be harmonized. The WCA will develop a tailored monitoring and reporting protocol and deliver required training within next two years. This endeavour aims at enabling members to establish the carbon footprint of their products and provide a procedure which, subject to local regulations, can enable reporting agreed datasets to the “Getting the Numbers Right” global cement database of CO2 and energy information.
Acting for an optimal use of our products in construction. The WCA will advocate standards and building codes that encourage low-carbon solutions. Members commit to enhance their efforts in informing, educating and training concrete producers and users, as well as supporting the professionalization of the construction sector, with the goal of reducing average material use and enhancing the quality and durability of buildings, thereby reducing the climate footprint.
Accelerating the development of waste co-processing. The WCA will establish an internal knowledge exchange platform at global level. It will also help create required framework conditions for an accelerated deployment of waste co-processing through joint advocacy efforts, recommendations on enabling regulatory frameworks and public-private partnerships.
Exploring the potential of innovative technologies. As 50 percent of the technologiesrequired to achieve a two-degrees scenario still need to be developed, sharing knowledge among WCA members to accelerate innovation is another cornerstone of the action plan. An essential element of this is the annual WCA Global Climate Change Forum, where experts join CEOs from cement companies all over the world to discuss climate issues.
The WCA will also regularly update its members about new products and the most relevant worldwide regulatory developments related to climate change – and more specifically to CO2emissions mitigation. The WCA will also reach out to equipment suppliers to work collaboratively on technological challenges.
New business opportunities and innovative business models. The association will develop a process for recognition of the most innovative products, solutions and/or business models supporting the transition to a low-carbon built environment and to more resilient communities against detrimental consequences of climate change.
“As a global organization, we believe that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change effectively requires joint effort. With a membership base representing more than 1 billion tons of annual cement production capacity, the WCA and its members have the capacity to affect change in pursuing the necessary transition to a low carbon economy at global level,” said Bernard Mathieu, director of the WCA Climate Program and head of sustainable development at LafargeHolcim.
