Cement and concrete becomes first global essential industry
accelerator for UN’s global Race to Zero
As part of New York Climate Week, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced that it will become an accelerator of the United Nations (UN) backed Race to Zero campaign – which campaigns for accelerating the halving of global emissions by 2030 and pledging to reach net zero by 2050.
The GCCA, which represents 80% of the international concrete and cement industry outside China and some of the leading Chinese manufacturers, has become the first association that represents a global essential industry to join the campaign as an accelerator. GCCA members that have already pledged to join Race to Zero through its partner initiative Business Ambition for 1.5 °C including Cementos Argos, Cemex, Dalmia Cement, GCC, HeidelbergCement, Holcim, and Votorantim Cimentos, who operate across the world.
The announcement comes ahead of the planned launch of GCCA’s roadmap to carbon-neutral concrete in October 2021, during which it will detail plans to achieve net zero concrete globally by 2050.
Launched in June last year by the UN High Level Climate Action Champions, Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Munoz, the Race to Zero campaign rallies non-state actors – including companies, cities, regions, financial, educational, and healthcare institutions – to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time. All members are committed to the same overarching goal: reducing emissions across all scopes swiftly and fairly in line with the Paris Agreement, with transparent action plans and robust near-term targets.
By helping to accelerate the Race to Zero, GCCA reinforces its commitment to helping its global members and the wider sector reach net zero by 2050 and is leading the way in the transition to more sustainable practices among heavy industries.
