California Cement Industry Marks Near-Term Progress on Carbon Neutrality Goals

CA cement manufacturers release updated 2045 carbon neutrality plan to reflect recent developments

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif., July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Nevada Cement Association (CNCA) released an update to its carbon neutrality plan. The timebound, action-oriented plan outlines goals and pathways to lower emissions throughout California cement manufacturing. CNCA and its members have made remarkable progress in furthering near-term emissions reduction objectives and this second edition reflects recent developments.

The California cement industry has committed to reach net carbon neutrality by 2045. The initial plan articulated how this goal will be reached. The plan details various pathways the industry can use to reduce its carbon footprint and explains how barriers to progress can be removed. The plan also set the stage for collaboration between the state's cement industry and key stakeholders, detailing the role partners can play to help this industry reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

"CNCA is pleased with the progress made by our members, NGO stakeholders and state officials since releasing our plan two years ago," said Tom Tietz, Executive Director of CNCA, the association representing all of California's cement manufacturers. "We are committed to continuing that progress to reach net zero emissions for all cement producers in California, hopefully sooner than our projected date of 2045. We have new advancements and innovative technologies that are being piloted and scaled up, and we are thrilled to continue growing toward this goal."

In just a few short years, CNCA and its members have made considerable progress, including:

• Legislation. The state adopted Senate Bill 596, which directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to create a strategy for removing barriers to decarbonization and achieving net carbon neutrality in the state's cement industry. This bill was a collaborative effort between Senator Josh Becker, environmental NGO the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and CNCA.
• Leadership in using low-carbon materials. Caltrans, the state's largest consumer of cement, approved the use of Portland Limestone Cement (PLC), a material that reduces emissions by at least 10% and is a one-to-one replacement for ordinary portland cement.
• Investments in producing low-carbon materials. Local demand for PLC is growing in California, and the state's cement producers have made significant investments to retrofit plants to produce PLC to meet increased demand.
• Collaboration. The California cement industry recognizes that progress not only requires constructive engagement among all public policy stakeholders, but also partnerships across the entire cement-concrete-construction value chain. To achieve this, the industry has cultivated relationships with legislators, regulators and other parties to capture every perspective, while engaging with manufacturers to allow for flexibility on pursuing optimal pathways to advance carbon neutrality.

The California cement industry remains encouraged by the constructive, solutions-oriented conversations that it has engaged in with stakeholders. The revised plan updates the outlook on challenges and opportunities associated with achieving net carbon neutrality, and it expands decarbonization levers on topics such as blended cements, onsite electricity generation, alternative fuels and carbon capture, utilizations & storage (CCUS).

About CNCA
CNCA is a not-for-profit organization committed to developing sustainable and economical construction solutions for California and Nevada with an emphasis on the use of cement and concrete. CNCA provides expert technical leadership, design assistance, research, and educational opportunities designed to responsibly transform our built environment and improve the lives of the people throughout the region. The member companies of the CNCA are cement producers and shippers that manufacture cement products. For more information, please visit cncement.org. 

SOURCE California Nevada Cement Association