The global cement industry has reduced its specific net CO2 emissions per ton of product by 17 percent since 1990 – from 756kg/ton to 629kg/ton. Meanwhile, companies’ cement production increased by 74 percent between 1990 and 2011, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative.
Absolute CO2 emissions increased by 44 percent over this period, the business group says.
CSI has released its 2011 data update to the “Getting the Numbers Right” project, or GNR, which tracks global CO2 emissions for participating companies in the cement industry. The report shows evidence of significant CO2 emissions reductions and improved efficiency.
The four main drivers for the reduction in emissions are: investment in more efficient kiln technology, increasing use of alternative fuels such as biomass, reduction in clinker content and an 8 percent decrease in electricity use per ton of cement since 1990, CSI says.
Between 2010 and 2011 cement production volume covered by the GNR increased from 840 million tons to 888 million tons, and specific net CO2 emissions decreased from 638 Kg/ton to 629 Kg/ton of product.
Cement is needed to produce concrete. As a building material, concrete is the most used man-made material in the world, utilized at double the rate of all other building materials, according to CSI.
The 2011 data now covers 55 percent of cement production outside of China, with 96 percent coverage in Europe from 967 individual facilities. Four new country reports are included this year: Thailand, Morocco, Philippines and Egypt. The group aims to improve the participation of cement companies in China and other emerging economies.
The database is the largest global industry database of its kind, now in its seventh year of publication, CSI says.
The GNR data is available onlineand can be filtered and viewed by region and other user-selectable parameters.