Source: European Investment Bank
Wood is one solution for lowering the carbon footprint of construction. But most buildings today are built using cement, the “glue” in concrete. And cement production has long been one of the most carbon-intensive industrial processes, accounting for about 8% of global carbon emissions.
Heidelberg Materials, a German multinational building material manufacturer, is tackling this challenge by innovating, digitalising and improving its processes.
The company says its goal is to achieve net zero by 2050. “We’re taking the entire value chain into account,” says Wolfgang Dienemann, vice president of global research and development and innovation. “From raw materials to reuse, including optimising the product mix, making process improvements and advancing circularity across our operations.”
The European Investment Bank is supporting the company’s research, development and innovation programme with a €100 million loan signed in December 2023.
Over a third of Heidelberg Material’s revenue is already generated through their carbon-reduced and circular products, and the company aims to increase this to 50% by 2030.
Digital initiatives are another key part of the company’s strategy. “We’re leveraging artificial intelligence to continuously improve the efficiency, safety and sustainability of our production processes,” says Dienemann. The company is using tools developed in-house to forecast energy prices and plan for the best time for cement production.
However, a considerable proportion of carbon emissions generated in the process of cement manufacturing is unavoidable and cannot be tackled using established techniques, Dienemann adds. Carbon capture, use and storage is therefore another key lever to achieving net-zero carbon emissions in construction.
“It’s all linked with a future move to carbon capture, when it becomes available and affordable,” says Eoin Keane, a senior engineer at the European Investment Bank. “But it’s also about reducing the need to generate CO2 in the first place.”
Dienemann agrees. “One key indicator to track our progress is the reduction of specific net carbon emissions,” he says. “We succeeded in reducing our specific net carbon emissions by a further 1.3% to 527 kg per tonne of cementitious material in 2024 and aim to lower them to 400 kg per tonne by 2030.”