The Irish government has announced that it will provide specific guidance for the use and procurement of low carbon cement and concrete in public sector projects.
The announcement from Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment follows its Reducing embodied carbon in cement and concrete through Public Procurement in Ireland report, detailing technical and procedural recommendations for public procurement including:
1. Reduce the carbon impact of public sector projects involving construction
2. Reduce the carbon impact of the procurement of cement and concrete
3. Do more with less by using less concrete and less cement and by designing, specifying, and managing products on site better.
Cement accounts for almost 5% of total national emissions in Ireland and almost 8% globally. Specifically, the government has formally mandated a 30% target for clinker reduction and Ireland and is the first country in Europe to do this. Since clinker is the source of over 90% of emissions from cement and cement in Ireland currently averages almost 85% clinker, this is a significant shift and sends a clear message to the construction industry to invest in low carbon products.
Dublin-based Ecocem, a leading European provider of low carbon cement solutions, has welcomed this announcement.
Ecocem’s director of public affairs and sustainability Susan McGarry comments on the government move: “Responsible for almost 5% of Ireland’s emissions, the cement sector has a major role to play in decarbonising the construction industry. Public procurement requirements on the use of low carbon cement are essential to ensure sustainable delivery of Ireland’s infrastructure. At Ecocem, we have long been calling for mandatory use of low carbon cements, which have enormous potential to reduce emissions at scale, and the government’s mandatory target of 30% reduction in clinker is a solid start on which we as an industry can build.
“Low carbon cement technology is available to be deployed immediately, offering a scalable, cost-efficient solution to cement and concrete’s carbon problem. The responsibility now lies with public sector decision makers to engage with the private sector in its efforts to reduce the carbon impact of construction.”
