Making Low-Carbon Cement the Standard in North America
At Holcim, climate action is at the heart of our strategy to build a net-zero future that works for people and the planet. Our approach to become a net-zero company is science-driven, with our industry’s first net-zero 2030 and 2050 targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
As a leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, an important part of our journey relies on putting our innovation to work to deliver low-carbon materials that make cities greener from rooftop to foundation. This includes leading cement’s green transformation worldwide, making it as low-carbon and circular as possible with no compromise on performance.
The ongoing conversion of our plants in the US to produce only low-carbon Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) represents a significant step forward in this direction. Our Canada division is also in the process of converting the Bath Plant (Ontario) to 100% low-carbon cement, following the successful change at the Richmond plant.
Portland Limestone Cement
A blended cement
Portland Limestone Cement includes up to 15% of finely ground high quality limestone as an integral component
Equal performance
It is an engineered cement that is rigorously tested, offering equivalent performance and workability to standard cements
Low-carbon
It is a durable, high-performance cement which offers a CO2 emissions reduction of up to 10%
Applications
Wide range of applications from ready-mix concrete, architectural & structural to precast elements, concrete blocks, paving and geotechnical
United States
The Midlothian (Midlothian, Texas) plant became the first in the US to fully convert to lower carbon cement. Our Ste. Genevieve and Alpena cement plants (in Missouri and Michigan, respectively) were the next to transition fully to this type of production at the start of 2022. In April 2022, our Joppa cement plant in Illinois became the fourth US plant to follow the same path. Collectively, these plants will reduce CO2 emissions by close to 400,000 tons annually.
Holcim is fully engaged in making carbon reduction an urgent priority and 100% dedicated to leading the market transformation needed for climate stability. To achieve net-zero commitments by midcentury, we must start now in accelerating the adoption of low-carbon building solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Canada
In Canada, the transition to PLC started some years ago. “This has been a long-term goal for our operations,” explains Cory Cannon, VP of Sales and Logistics. “Through collaboration with municipalities, constructors, and engineers, we have been encouraging the shift since 2011.”
The Richmond plant is the first one to manufacture only PLC across British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. Since 2011, when Richmond began producing the lower carbon cement, one million tons of CO2 have been eliminated from the atmosphere - the equivalent of taking a quarter of a million vehicles off Canada’s roads for an entire calendar year.
Overall, the shift to PLC in North America will translate into approximately 1 million tons of CO2 saved per year.
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