Technology Roadmap Low-Carbon Transition in the Cement Industry

Conclusions
Alternative binding materials to PC clinker can offer 
opportunities for carbon emissions reductions. 
However, there is currently no independent, 
publicly available and robust life-cycle analysis 
for any of the discussed alternative binders or 
associated comparative quantification of production 
costs, and their versatility in terms of commercial 
applicability differs widely. Alternative binders 
theoretically yielding greater CO
2
savings are often 
related to greater production costs, restricted 
available raw materials and limitations of market 
application, or are at early stages of development. 
These circumstances make it premature to perform 
a techno-economic-based evaluation that analyses 
least-cost technologies and pathways for cement 
production.
There is a lack of incentives to reduce carbon 
emissions in cement manufacturing in many 
regions. Therefore, the deployment of commercially 
available alternative binding materials is highly 
driven by production costs, with raw materials 
being the determining cost factor at present. 
Research into process optimisation of alternative 
binders at demonstration phase and the 
encompassing progress of standardisation could 
create possibilities for commercial deployment, 
yielding environmental improvements from current 
industry performance.
Public-private partnerships can be a mechanism 
for leveraging funding resources to support 
demonstration testing and early research. Patent 
legislation should be flexible enough to disclose 
information on cement formulations using new 
or widely deployed binding materials while still 
providing a commercial advantage to patent 
owners for the standardisation process to progress 
effectively and to encompass market deployment.

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5. Policy, finance and international collaboration: Actions and milestones
National and international policy frameworks, as 
well as close co-operation between private and 
public stakeholders, are needed to achieve the 
carbon emissions reductions outlined in the vision 
for this roadmap. These efforts involve multiple 
levels of action including those of municipal 
bodies, regional authorities, national governments, 
supranational bodies and global institutions. 
Some regions of the world have been, or 
are currently, implementing some of the 
recommendations listed below. However, regulator 
progress made over past years in the development 
and deployment of enabling policies needs to be 
amplified and accelerated.
Policy priorities and 
regulatory frameworks