The UK cement industry is making good progress towards reducing its carbon footprint and is pleased with the results of initiatives put in place several years ago to meet its sustainable development objectives.
The British Cement Association welcomes the opportunity to have the debate on the sustainable future of the cement industry. Mike Gilbert, Chief Executive of the BCA, said, ‘contrary to the report in a recent Guardian newspaper, the UK cement industry is not an ‘obstacle’ to a low carbon economy, but an essential component. Since 1990, UK cement manufacturers have reduced their carbon dioxide emissions by 29%, saving over 3.9 million tonnes of CO2. Cement manufacture accounts for just 1.76% of total UK CO2 emissions; the proportion accounted for by aviation and shipping is higher. UK cement manufacturers are also committed to global sector carbon reductions through the WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative and its 2002 Agenda for Action.
The cement industry has reduced its environmental impact through a number of significant initiatives, such as the replacement of primary raw materials and fossil fuels by processing wastes and by-products from other industries into alternative raw materials or fuels for use in the cement kiln. These initiatives coupled with significant investment in both modern kilns and energy efficient technologies has resulted in a 27.5% fall in energy use since 1990. In 2006 alone, the cement industry used over 1.1 million tonnes of waste which otherwise would have gone to landfill or incineration.
In the longer term, the BCA is investigating with the International Energy Agency the application of carbon capture and storage to cement manufacture, a report on which is due to be published next month. Because 60% of industry’s emissions are derived from the cement manufacturing process, efforts are being made to improve the substitution rate of fossil fuels with waste-derived alternatives. The UK has an encouraging story here with a 23% reduction in fossil fuel usage since 1998; in 2006 waste-derived fuels made up 15% of the fuel used in UK cement kilns.
Cement is an essential and virtually irreplaceable building material. It is the principal ingredient in concrete, upon which we depend to build and maintain our homes, schools, offices, shops, hospitals, roads and transport infrastructure, water, energy utilities and, of course, flood defences.
Concrete is one of the most sustainable building materials, when taking account its ocal nature, the energy consumed during its manufacture and its energy performance over the whole life of a structure. Concrete buildings are adaptable to changing climatic conditions. 90% of the environmental impact of CO2 associated with buildings arises during their operational lifetime from heating, lighting and cooling. With temperatures forecast to rise in the coming years, there are great advantages to be gained from concrete dwellings through the use of its thermal mass properties, which mean that buildings made from concrete can absorb heat in high temperatures and release it again when the temperature drops, thus reducing the energy needed for cooling and saving CO2 emissions over the building’s lifetime. This is important as currently some 27% of the UK’s CO2 emissions arise from the energy used to heat, light and cool residential properties. This figure rises to 50% for all properties.
For more information visit www.wbcsdcement.org
