HeidelbergCement – the world’s No. 2 cement maker, announced an accelerated CO2 target in an effort to decarbonize quicker. The increased target is now reducing CO2 emissions by almost 50% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, up from previous target of a 33% cut.
That involves reducing emissions to 400kg of CO2 per ton of cement production, down from a previous target of 500 kilograms.
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According to the company, it will reduce emissions in the next eight years to 2030 more strongly in percentage terms than it has done in the last three decades.
The decision follows a wider push from the cement industry to cut its heavy carbon footprint. Cement production is among the most polluting industrial processes responsible for 2.2 gigatons of CO2 (equivalent to 8% of global emissions) in 2016.
“We have the ambition, speed, knowledge, technologies and partners to lead the necessary change process in our sector. Our focus is on expanding our portfolio of sustainable products, reducing our CO2 emissions quickly and significantly, proving that CO2-free products are possible on a large scale, and creating a circular economy by consistently applying the principles of circularity. Our new sustainability targets for 2030 illustrate this ambition,” said Dominik von Achten, chair of the managing board of HeidelbergCement regarding the upgraded CO2 target.
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The company plans to be using recycled materials and carbon capture to help reach its target. It has set a dedicated $1.2 billion (1.1 billion euros) a year by 2025 for investments in the decarbonization sector. They compete with the global cement leader Switzerland’s Holcim.
