Recasting the Future: Policy Approaches to Drive Cement Decarbonization

The U.S. cement industry generates 71.3 million metric tons of GHG emissions annually, representing 1.1% of total gross U.S. GHG emissions. Decarbonization is challenging because nearly 60% of these emissions are non-energy-related process emissions from limestone calcination. The report identifies several technological pathways, including carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), alternative feedstocks (such as electrochemical calcination), and clinker substitution. It argues that a coordinated policy portfolio—combining financial support, market-based tools like advance market commitments, and regulatory measures such as performance-based material standards—is required to bridge the investment gap. Total capital expenditures needed through 2050 are estimated between $69 billion and $120 billion, with approximately $11.4 billion in public spending required over the next decade to de-risk private investment and build necessary CO2 infrastructure.

• U.S. cement production is responsible for 71.3 million metric tons of GHG emissions annually, which constitutes 4.4% of total U.S. industrial emissions and 1.1% of total gross U.S. GHG emissions.
• Approximately 60% of GHG emissions from cement manufacturing are process emissions resulting from the chemical reaction of calcining limestone, meaning they cannot be eliminated through fuel-switching.
• The U.S. cement industry is more emissions-intensive than global averages, with a capacity-weighted average GHG emissions intensity of 0.83 tons of CO2e per ton of cement as of 2020.
• CCUS is identified as a critical pathway for retrofitting newer, coal- and coke-fueled kilns, with the potential to eliminate 37.7 million metric tons of CO2 per year if installed at the 20 largest U.S. plants.
• Alternative feedstocks and production processes, such as electrochemical calcination, could potentially eliminate process emissions and are being tested in demonstration plants by companies like Sublime Systems and Brimstone Energy.
• Clinker substitution using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) like limestone calcined clay (LC3) can reduce emissions by up to 30-40%, but adoption is hindered by prescriptive ASTM C-150 standards.
• Demand-side design optimization and construction site efficiencies could reduce industry-wide cement emissions by up to 22% by 2050.
• The U.S. government is a primary lever for decarbonization, as public procurement accounts for nearly half of total cement purchases.
• Total capital expenditures required to decarbonize the U.S. cement sector by 2050 are estimated between $69 billion and $120 billion.
• Public spending on supporting policies from 2026 to 2035 is estimated at $11.4 billion (at a 0% discount rate) or $10.1 billion (at a 2.15% discount rate).

APA

Eash-Gates, P., Koester, S., Metz, L., Hittinger, J., Hopkins, A. S., & Weiss, I. (2025). Recasting the Future: Policy Approaches to Drive Cement Decarbonization. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/resource/recasting-future-policy-approaches-drive-cement-decarbonization/

Chicago

Eash-Gates, Philip, Stefan Koester, Lucy Metz, Joe Hittinger, Asa S. Hopkins, and Ida Weiss. Recasting the Future: Policy Approaches to Drive Cement Decarbonization. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/resource/recasting-future-policy-approaches-drive-cement-decarbonization/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Eash-Gates |first1=Philip |last2=Koester |first2=Stefan |last3=Metz |first3=Lucy |last4=Hittinger |first4=Joe |last5=Hopkins |first5=Asa S. |last6=Weiss |first6=Ida |title=Recasting the Future: Policy Approaches to Drive Cement Decarbonization |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=9 May 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/recasting-future-policy-approaches-drive-cement-decarbonization/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{eashgates2025recasting, author = {Eash-Gates, Philip and Koester, Stefan and Metz, Lucy and Hittinger, Joe and Hopkins, Asa S. and Weiss, Ida}, title = {{Recasting the Future: Policy Approaches to Drive Cement Decarbonization}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/recasting-future-policy-approaches-drive-cement-decarbonization/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }