The Portland Cement Association (PCA) released its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, a strategic plan that outlines opportunities and actions to reach the ambitious goal throughout the industry’s value chain by 2050.
The roadmap demonstrates how the U.S. cement and concrete industry, along with its entire value chain, can address climate change, decrease greenhouse gases (GHGs), and eliminate barriers that are restricting environmental progress. It is aligned with the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s Roadmap.
“Cement and concrete have been pivotal in building resilient, durable and sustainable communities that enable people to live safe, productive and healthy lives via structures that withstand natural and man-made disasters,” said PCA President and CEO Michael Ireland. “PCA is uniquely positioned to lead the industry-wide ambition to achieving carbon neutrality and enable our member companies and industry partners to continue building a better future.”
The PCA roadmap involves the entire value chain, starting at the cement plant and extending through the entire life cycle of the built environment to incorporate the circular economy. It recognizes five main areas of opportunity: clinker, cement, concrete, construction and carbonation (using concrete as a carbon sink). Each phase of the value chain is integral to reaching the goal and can unlock unique and specific pathways to carbon neutrality, including actions such as reducing CO2 from the manufacturing process, decreasing combustion emissions by changing fuel sources, and shifting toward increased use of renewable electricity.
The association is committed to gathering a coalition of industry experts, researchers, policymakers and companies along the value chain to make the roadmap a reality. “PCA is actively engaging with organizations beyond the industry to bring the right people to the table to accelerate and advance solutions to reach carbon neutrality,” said Massimo Toso, PCA climate and sustainability council co-chair, and president and CEO of Buzzi Unicem USA. “Our roadmap is an open-source, collaborative effort and includes stakeholders directly involved in the value chain as well as those not directly involved in the value chain.”
Eric Holard, PCA climate and sustainability council co-chair and U.S. CEO of National Cement Company, noted that a “new set of metrics, means and methods to track the industry’s roadmap progress” will need to be established. Once there is effective measurement, PCA member companies will “transparently demonstrate progress.”
