The extensive decarbonization work being carried out by the global cement and concrete industry to cut CO₂emissions is set out in a new Global Cement and Concrete Association report launched at COP30 in Brazil.
“Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/6” details the latest industry data showing that the sector is making progress, and also emphasizes the need for urgent global government input to help accelerate action.
The report finds that the industry has reduced the CO₂ intensity of cementitious products by 25% across the globe since 1990, and also sets out a series of policy recommendations that can pave the way for faster reductions.
“Our industry is collaborating and innovating across every aspect of our manufacturing – finding new ways to work and deploying exciting technologies that are already making a genuine step change,” said Dominik von Achten, GCCA president and chairman of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials. “However, to achieve the industrial scale transformation that our world needs, we cannot do it by ourselves – our industry needs the support of governments, policymakers, stakeholders, and our allies across the built environment right now.”
The report calls for the urgent implementation of effective policies, which promote the use of otherwise non-recyclable municipal and industrial waste as sustainable alternative fuels for cement kilns, as well as using construction demolition waste as recycled raw materials. Other key policies include a change in building codes to encourage the wider adoption of blended cement and concrete products, as well as the establishment of market-driven national carbon pricing mechanisms that incentivize decarbonization and investment in clean innovation.
The report highlights more than 60 standout decarbonization projects from GCCA member companies and partner associations, including the launch of world’s first industrial-sized carbon capture cement plant at Brevik, Norway, run by Heidelberg Materials in June 2025.
The full report can be viewed here.
