Votorantim Cimentos ended 2024 with global emissions of 550 kg of CO2 per tonne of cementitious materials produced, a reduction of 27.9% compared to 1990, the baseline year used by the cement industry.
Compared to 2023, when its emissions were 556 kg of CO2 per tonne of cementitious material, the company reduced its CO2 emissions per tonne of product manufactured by 1% in 2024. Votorantim Cimentos’ 2030 decarbonization target, approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), is 475 kg of CO2 per tonne of cementitious product.
“Cement and concrete are essential products for the development of society in areas such as housing and living, basic sanitation and others. We recognize our role as part of the solution to decarbonization,” said Álvaro Lorenz, global director of sustainability, institutional relations, product development, engineering and energy at Votorantim Cimentos. “Globally, we have made progress in pilot projects for CO2 capture, installed new co-processing and renewable energy sites and systems, and launched low-carbon products. All these efforts will contribute toward our decarbonization journey and help us achieve our goal of producing carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.”
Votorantim Cimentos’ decarbonization strategy is based on four main pillars: co-processing, the use of cementitious materials, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources, and the development of technologies.
In 2024, Votorantim Cimentos’ global thermal substitution rate – which measures the percentage of biomass and waste used as fuel in cement kilns – through co-processing was 32.1%. This rate represents an improvement compared to 2023, when the company achieved a thermal substitution rate of 30.9%. Its 2030 target rate is 53%.
The clinker factor (which measures the amount of clinker in cement) was 72.5% last year, a drop compared to 72.8% in 2023. Votorantim Cimentos’ 2030 goal is to reach a clinker factor of 68% by increasing the use of alternative raw materials, in line with the concept of the circular economy.
In 2024, 34.1% of the electricity consumed by Votorantim Cimentos came from renewable sources, compared to 34.1% in 2023, excluding the operations in Morocco and Tunisia, which were sold by the company last year. The company’s goal is to have 45% of the energy consumed globally come from renewable sources by 2030.
