Cement underpins nearly all construction, from housing and hospitals to roads, dams, and ports. In Canada, 16 plants alone produce 13 to 14 million tonnes per year. What makes cement uniquely challenging to abate is that two-thirds of its emissions are from calcination rather than entirely from fuel combustion, meaning that switching to clean energy alone cannot eliminate them.
Cement is often cited as one of the most challenging and expensive industrial sectors to decarbonize, and its low margins and price-sensitive customers make weak demand for low-carbon cement a key barrier. Since production in concentrated, progress will depend on public investment in demonstration, government procurement, performance-based building codes, and international coordination on research and development and financing.
About two-thirds of emissions come from calcination so fuel switching alone cannot decarbonize the sector.
Decarbonization technologies need large upfront investment in facilities that operate for decades.
electrified and hydrogen kilns, novel chemistries, and CCUS at scale are largely unproven commercially.
Low margins and price-sensitive buyers make demand for low-carbon cement limited.
Exposure to U.S. and global competition raises carbon-leakage risk.
Prescriptive, material-specific building codes are slow to accept new cement blends and chemistries.
Geopolymer and magnesium-silicate/ultramafic cements could cut or eliminate process emissions but are early-stage.
Long kiln lifetimes mean retrofit decisions over the next few decades will determine net-zero alignment.
CCUS at scale depends on shared CO₂ transport and long-term geological storage that does not yet exist.
Electrified and hydrogen kilns need reliable, affordable low-carbon electricity and hydrogen.
Percent change in GHG emissions from cement manufacture.
Market penetration of low-carbon cement.
Clinker-to-cement ratio, tracked against the Cement Association of Canada roadmap.
Novel SCMs and cement precursors align mining with cement, with export potential for IP and novel chemistries.
Cement can anchor a CCUS industry using western Canada's large geological storage, and regional hydrogen hubs.
Reduced air pollution and associated health benefits.
Scores are grounded in the sources cited throughout each sector assessment, then reviewed by experts and industry stakeholders to confirm how each pathway elements criteria are ranked.
economic viability score
Economic Viability description
