“In the journey to net zero we must focus on facts and data instead of rhetoric and historical perceptions of a modernising industry” says Dr Richard Leese a cement, industrial policy, energy and climate director at the Mineral Products Association
As we aim for economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, delivery of net zero by 2050 is rightly coming into sharp focus.
The campaign to ‘Build Back Better’ across the UK’s built environment sector is vital to delivering improved social, environmental and economic outcomes. But it must be based on clear facts, roadmaps and collective action.
This is critical to prevent a carbon rebound in the short term. It’s also important to chart the UK’s journey to net zero. The aim should be to help policymakers and those that design our buildings and infrastructure base their opinions and decisions on data, evidence and not rhetoric.
There is currently an awful lot of misperception created around the supposed ‘problems’ with cement and concrete and its environmental impact.
The facts are important. The UK concrete and cement industry is fully committed to delivering a net-zero industry, reducing emissions from the built environment and supporting delivery of the government’s net-zero target. Critically, we also plan to do this without offsetting emissions or offshoring production facilities.
Our materials, our challenge
We believe that net zero should be achieved by reducing emissions from the construction materials manufactured in the UK, rather than by simply replacing these with imports and moving the problem abroad. The aim should be to retain jobs and economic value in the UK whilst ensuring that the UK takes responsibility for the emissions it creates.
Our industry has a strong track record, having already delivered a 53 per cent reduction in absolute carbon dioxide emissions since 1990 – decarbonising faster than the UK economy as a whole. This demonstrates that we have taken early collective action.
Because of this it is already possible to construct buildings and homes with a lower environmental impact across their long lifetimes by using low-carbon concrete, thanks to its superior energy efficiency and reduced maintenance needs.
The EU Emissions Trading System is a highly regulated system for carbon trading. Participant companies and sites have operated within the defined rules and every kilogram of CO2 is monitored and reported. The current trading price last week approached €30/£27/tCO2 and this is not a disincentive for UK cement manufacturers to take action to decarbonise. There is also clear evidence that shows scheme participants have cut more carbon compared to companies that are outside of the trading system.
The work driving decarbonisation
Within this regulated system, significant product and manufacturing innovation is taking place. The Mineral Products Association (MPA) is currently working with Hanson Cement, Forterra Building Products, and Building Research Establishment (BRE) to develop, test and demonstrate low carbon multi-component cements.
Some of these new cements are 55 per cent lower embodied CO2e than the current market leader. In partnership with BEIS, we are trialling innovative fuel mixes involving biomass, hydrogen and plasma technology to reduce carbon emissions through fuel switching from fossil fuels in cement production.
This work can drive decarbonisation. It can also help to inform the conversation about the materials we use across the built environment. In the journey to net zero we must focus on facts and data instead of rhetoric and historical perceptions of a modernising industry.
In this way, we can all be sure we’re making the right decisions along the route to net zero and beyond.
This article was written for the Construction News by Dr Richard Leese who is a cement, industrial policy, energy and climate director at the Mineral Products Association in the UK
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