Why we should look harder at cement’s climate impact  – Inside track

Cement is something most of us rarely think about, but it is in the background of our lives everywhere. If you’re reading this in a building, the chances are that you’re less than a few metres away from something made with cement. If you’re in the middle of a field and can see a pylon, there’s cement in its foundations. Cement is one of the most ubiquitous resources after water. Yet, despite its prevalence in our lives, its huge climate impact tends to be overlooked.  

As part of our work looking at the how to decarbonise heavy industries, Green Alliance is drawing attention to the issues around cement, looking into the best ways to reduce its contribution to climate change, in a way that’s good for the industry and good for the country.  

Here are four reasons we should care more about cement and its impact on the climate. 

1. We will inevitably use more of it
For the government to fulfil its aim to ‘build baby build’, including many more new homes and expanding our rail network and road infrastructure, a lot more cement is going to be needed. In 2024, the government announced it will build 1.5 million homes over the next five years. This alone will release 19MtCO2e from the additional cement needed, equivalent to Malawi’s total annual emissions.  

2. It could play a major role in global decarbonisation
Cement manufacturing is responsible for a staggering eight per cent of global CO2 emissions. Most of these are from China (720MtCO2) and India (177MtCO2), where constantly rising skyscrapers bring both industrial growth but significant environmental impacts. With their geographies and large populations, these are also two of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Despite the UK’s lower footprint (4MtCO2), investing in solutions is not just a local issue as they can be applied globally in a strategic effort to limit global warming.  

By adopting and demonstrating lower carbon manufacturing methods and materials, we can help to transfer knowledge to tackle these emissions globally. The sheer size of cement’s footprint will mean that these efforts will play a major role in mitigating the effects of climate change.  

3. It’s needed for UK economic resilience
Demand for lower carbon cement will rise as countries focus on industrial solutions to meet their climate targets, so UK innovation around cement manufacturing is an export opportunity. Such innovation will also help to secure the industry’s future here, reduce reliance on imports and vulnerability to global instability.  

4. Old and new employment opportunities need protection
Cement and its related products contributed £3.6 billion to the UK economy in 2023. It sits within the wider mineral products industry which supports around 3.2 million jobs, primarily in construction. Due to the location of cement manufacturing plants, these jobs are dispersed across the country. Expanding the industry offers opportunities as these jobs often pay higher than average salaries in regions beyond the south east where more high quality jobs are needed. Learning from the recent experience of the steel industry, where a lack of early planning and investment in an industrial transition is leading to job losses, the cement industry should be looking ahead now to secure its future in a low carbon world.  

Several UK-based start-ups are already paving the way forward, developing new technologies to manufacture lower carbon cement. In Wrexham, Material Evolution has commissioned the UK’s first ultra-low emissions cement production plant. Its cement does not need heated kilns, the part of the traditional manufacturing process which is the source of most of cement’s greenhouse gas emissions.  

Cement can even play a role in carbon sequestration, actively contributing to reaching net zero emissions. The company CarbonCure has developed a new technique to inject captured CO2 from the atmosphere into cement during manufacture to store it permanently.  

The cement sector is a little discussed area of opportunity for the UK. But being ambitious about greening the industry will help to drive economic progress, safeguard jobs through new roles and opportunities, and contribute to a more sustainable future. We’ll be watching the government’s upcoming industry and decarbonisation strategies with interest to see if they take up the challenge.