TERI and GCCA hold stakeholder consultations to develop a ‘2050 Net-Zero Roadmap for the Indian Cement and Concrete Industry’

New Delhi/Mumbai, October 14: In a bid to develop a 2050 Net-Zero Roadmap for Indian Cement and Concrete Industry, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) held two-day stakeholder consultation workshops with the cement and concrete industry representatives in New Delhi and Mumbai on October 11 and 12, 2022.

The deliberations brought out technical insights to corroborate the findings of CO2 reduction levers across clinker production, cement and concrete manufacturing, and design and construction in the model used to develop the roadmap.

Inaugurating the stakeholder consultation in New Delhi, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, underscored the all-abiding role of industries in mainstreaming climate action and promoting resilience and which spur significant co-benefits for business creation and innovation.

“The Indian cement sector is seeking to transform and brace itself for new challenges, and the scale of opportunity in the cement and concrete sector comes from the fact that India is yet to build most of its infrastructure needed for a growing population and economy. Decarbonisation, in this regard, is extremely significant and road mapping process is the first step towards achieving net-zero by all stakeholders,” said Dr Dhawan.

Addressing the consultation in New Delhi, Mr Deepak Khetrapal, MD and CEO Orient Cement Limited and Co-Chair, GCCA India, in his welcome remarks, said, “The Indian cement sector is globally recognised for its leading efforts in energy efficiency, but we need to accelerate and intensify our efforts on circularity for accelerating our journey towards the aspired for transition to low carbon.” He stressed the urgent need for shifting the discussions from reiterating long-term targets of net-zero to ones that identify rigorous pathways with challenging milestones.

Mr Pramod Ahuja, Director (Works), MMRDA Metro Project Implementation Unit, presided over the stakeholder consultation session in Mumbai. Taking stock of the growth-sustainability paradigm in energy-intensive sectors, he said, “The contribution of the construction sector, as a direct user of cement and concrete, towards the GDP has been significant to the tune of 10%, but a 10% growth also implies 10% contribution to CO2 emissions. As we progress further, it becomes imperative to arrive at appropriate measures to drive the low-carbon growth of the sector.”

He lauded the efforts made by the GCCA and TERI to find measurable solutions and that of the industry towards achieving a net-zero concrete sector. “The stakeholder consultation, as an idea-generating platform, is a process of mutual learning, and the government is here to support the sustainable growth of the cement and concrete industry. Given that the cement industry has taken it upon itself to become energy-efficient, it has a similar capability to work on motivation. It will require increased collaboration between the government and industry,” Mr Ahuja added.

Reiterating the global and Indian emissions scenario in his special remarks at Mumbai, Mr Jamshed N Cooper, MD, Heidelberg Cement India Limited and Zuari Cement Limited, stated that the Indian cement industry is one of the most energy-efficient in comparison to its global counterparts. “The Indian cement industry has managed to reduce its environmental footprint to 580 kg CO2/ton of cement from the previous level of 620 kg CO2/ton of cement in 2010, however, now the incremental reduction to achieve 535 kg/t by 2030 will call for extra-special efforts coupled with innovation,” he added.

Mr Cooper spotlighted the two ‘low-hanging fruits’ capable of delivering immediate and significant reduction in CO2; firstly by amending BIS norms for allowing increase in fly ash addition from 35% to 45%, and second, by the government making use of blended cement mandatory in its own projects including infrastructure where pre-stressed concrete is not a pre-requisite. “It is high time that we go for performance based cement specifications rather than content based,” he added.

Over 70 experts representing cement and concrete manufacturers, industry end-users, construction companies, structural designers, and research institutes such as NCCBM, IIT - Delhi, CBRI, CRRI, and other stakeholders in the cement and concrete value chain took part in the consultations in Delhi and Mumbai. The project is funded by Stichting SED Fund, The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Bloomberg Philanthropies

About TERI:

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an independent, multi-dimensional research organization with capabilities in policy research, technology development, and implementation. Headquartered in New Delhi, TERI has regional centres and campuses in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Mumbai, Panaji, and Nainital, supported by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, sociologists, economists, engineers, administrative professionals, and state-of-the-art infrastructure.

About GCCA India:

Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) India works with the Indian cement & concrete sector on Climate Change, Circular Economy, Health & Safety, SDGs, and Advocacy. It currently has thirteen member companies, aggregating to more than 67% of India’s cement production capacity. Sustainable development of the cement & concrete industry is at the very core of the GCCA’s work and has five pillars: health & safety, climate change & energy, social responsibility, environment & nature, and circular economy. The GCCA gathers and publishes data on the industry’s sustainability commitments, guidelines, and initiating research. The GCCA 2050 Cement and Concrete Industry Roadmap for the Net Zero Concrete is the collective commitment of the world’s leading cement and concrete companies to contribute to building the sustainable world of tomorrow entirely.