Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) is partnering with the federal government to drive the industry toward net carbon zero by 2050.
Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne signed a joint statement on behalf of the Government of Canada last week with CAC chair Marie Glenn and CAC president and CEO Michael McSweeney.
The partnership will position Canada’s cement and concrete industry to become a global leader in low-carbon cement and concrete production and related clean technologies.
“Innovation, science and technology are providing solutions to many of the challenging issues we face today,” said François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry.
“Through this partnership with the Cement Association of Canada, we are helping to make Canada a global leader in green concrete. We will work with the cement and concrete sector to take on a leadership role in the fight against climate change, while creating good jobs and driving Canada’s economic recovery.”
The roadmap will provide Canadian industry with guidance on technologies, tools and policies needed to reach net zero carbon concrete by 2050, including on:
- supporting the development of a low-carbon emissions supply chain in Canada and beyond through a data strategy, industrial standards, procurement and promotion;
- coordinating across the sector and government on high-potential research and investments to develop new technologies, products and processes that reduce the amount of carbon released in the production of cement and concrete; and
- engaging with federal, provincial and territorial partners, manufacturers, providers of cleantech solutions, and other stakeholders to fulfil the vision of global leadership in low-carbon cement manufacturing toward the goal of net-zero carbon concrete.
This strategy will be supported by tools and policies, such as Canada’s strengthened climate plan, the Clean Technology Data Strategy and new measures proposed in Budget 2021.
“The Canadian cement and concrete industry has consistently supported strong action on climate change. We proactively champion not only innovation in the manufacturing of cement and concrete but also innovative partnerships to advance the policy solutions needed to meet Canada’s climate objectives,” CAC chair Marie Gleen said in a statement.
“We are delighted to announce today a strengthened partnership with the Government of Canada to accelerate the decarbonization of our sector and enhance our capacity to deliver the durable, resilient, safe and zero-carbon buildings and infrastructure of the future.”
In keeping with the Greening Government Strategy, the government will focus on procuring low carbon building materials, including cement and concrete products to support their availability and strengthen green supply chains.
“Our industry must face society’s greatest challenge: climate change. With Canada forecasted to use at least 55 million tons of cement over the next five years, this collaboration is a significant step forward, helping to position Canada as a global leader by supporting the technology, tools and policies needed to realize our ambition of net-zero concrete by 2050,” McSweeney said.
As part of this partnership, an industry-government working group will be established to support the decarbonization of the sector. It will be led by the Cement Association of Canada, the National Research Council of Canada and the Standards Council of Canada, in collaboration with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
“The National Research Council of Canada is committed to supporting the Canadian construction industry’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We look forward to working with our partners on this roadmap to net-zero carbon cement and concrete through our research and development expertise,” said NRC president Mitch Davies.
The cement and concrete industry provides an estimated 158,000 direct and indirect jobs in Canada. Cement production in Canada was valued at more than $1.6 billion in 2014. However, the industry is one of the largest sources of industrial sector emissions in the world, accounting for an estimated seven per cent of all industrial CO2 emissions in 2019.