For the First Time, Cement and Concrete Industry Leaders Co-host Event at NY Climate Week

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Sep 21, 2022, 14:10 ET

Special Advisor to U.N. Secretary General on Climate Calls for All-Hands-on-Deck Action in Keynote Speech

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Portland Cement Association (PCA), in partnership with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), for the first time in their organizations' histories, co-hosted a panel event yesterday at New York Climate Week 2022. The event marks PCA's and GCCA's committed participation in the global conversation to dramatically cut carbon emissions.

Panelists showcased the industry's decarbonization progress since launching its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality in October 2021. They also revealed next steps to accelerate efforts. While PCA spoke to U.S. cement companies' advancements, GCCA provided a global perspective.

Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General for Climate Action and Just Transition Selwin Hart delivered the keynote speech, issuing a strong call for governments to take a more active role in helping to expedite industry efforts. Panelists also addressed specific policies that are vital to building a green, net zero concrete future, and discussed innovative tools available to stakeholders and policymakers worldwide.

"Cement and concrete are now at the heart of the U.S. infrastructure plan," said Mike Ireland, President and CEO of PCA. "There is much work to be done, PCA in collaboration with GCCA, and so many others are doing amazing things already. Our industry has long recognized the need for emissions reduction and has taken steps to increase efficiencies for many years, but we're in a unique position to do much more. We're already seeing encouraging signs of progress on our Roadmap. We must collaborate across the entire value chain to reach carbon neutrality."

ASG Hart remarked to industry leaders: "The world is way off track from keeping the 1.5C global warming limit alive and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. We urgently need all hands-on deck. GCCA represents 80 percent of the cement industry – responsible for 7 percent of global CO2 emissions. You have the power to shape history. Your global association was the first heavy industry association to set a net-zero commitment. But that means the easy part is done. We need you to be champions of net-zero credibility by bringing your entire industry and supply chain on board, including specific plans on how you will all reach net-zero, and what immediate steps you'll take to cut emissions significantly each year."

PCA member companies represent the majority of U.S. cement production capacity. Through their Roadmap, PCA and member companies have been working with with industry partners globally, including research groups, along with government agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions working toward a net zero future.

"We're coming up on one year since we formally launched our Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality and we've exceeded our expectations for near-term progress in such a short time," said Ron Henley, President of GCC of America and Chairman of PCA. "We aimed to increase the use of available lower carbon cement products and we're already seeing more requirements from architects and builders requesting lower carbon cement options. Carbon capture, utilization and storage is another big issue we want to accelerate addressing and we have a number of pilot projects looking at this from various angles. We are working with the administration to get more funding to expand and provide breakthrough technologies. We are committed to engaging the necessary stakeholders, and are pursuing dialogues with regulators, other industries, academics and many others to make this work."

"Since 1980, cement producers have reduced energy usage by 40 percent. But this is not enough - we need to accelerate reductions across the value chain," said Filiberto Ruiz, President and CEO of Votorantim Cimentos North America and Vice Chairman of PCA. "At the cement plant, we can continue reducing emissions and add value to materials otherwise headed to landfills by reusing them as fuel. In the U.S., cement producers are only displacing their use of fossil fuels by 15 percent, on average, in comparison to 30 or 40 percent in other countries. Recently, we have been working with the Department of Energy to reduce the use of fossil fuels, but to do so we need new permitting and other regulation changes."

Next month marks one year since the release of the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, which identifies the timelines, technologies, and supporting policies needed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Roadmap also provides direction and incentives within the industry and others across the cement-concrete-construction value chain.

The Portland Cement Association (PCA), founded in 1916, represents 93 percent of U.S. cement production capacity and have facilities in all 50 states. The association promotes safety, sustainability, and innovation in all aspects of construction, fosters continuous improvement in cement manufacturing and distribution and generally promotes economic growth and sound infrastructure investment. 

Contact:
Alex Adams
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SOURCE Portland Cement Association