Decarbonized Cement and Concrete Alliance seeks policies to accelerate adoption of transformational, low-carbon solutions
Cement and concrete currently account for 8 percent of global carbon emissions
January 17, 2024 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
SOMERVILLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ten companies advancing new technology to reduce emissions in cement and concrete today announced the launch of the Decarbonized Cement and Concrete Alliance (DC2), a first-of-its-kind, U.S. coalition dedicated to growing awareness around policies that will accelerate the adoption of these novel carbon-reducing solutions in infrastructure.
“By speaking about our common industrial decarbonization interests, DC2 can magnify our voice, reach, and impact versus each company speaking and acting on their own.”
Success of the coalition and its advocacy will translate to introducing new ways to create low-carbon construction materials, addressing future capacity needs by scaling up the industrial base, creating new clean cement and concrete jobs, and promoting environmental justice throughout this industry-wide transition. This launch comes at a critical moment in policy following the release of the Department of Energy’s inaugural report, “Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Low-Carbon Cement,” which underscores the urgent need to decarbonize these vital sectors that currently contribute to 8 percent of global CO2 emissions.
The 10 current members of DC2 — Biomason, Blue Planet Systems, Brimstone, CarbonBuilt, Chement, Fortera, Minus Materials, Queens Carbon, Sublime Systems, and Terra CO2 — are pioneering, North American venture- and private-sector-backed climate technology companies focused on delivering ultra-low-carbon, carbon-neutral, and carbon-negative cement and concrete solutions. Collectively, their technologies re-engineer production processes and feedstocks, introduce novel materials, and utilize or sequester CO2 directly in concrete to accelerate the industry’s decarbonization beyond near-term action taken by incumbents.
The coalition was formed in recognition of the crucial role played by the public sector, responsible for over 50 percent of concrete purchases across federal, state, and municipal agencies in the U.S. DC2 actively works to shape policies that will expedite the use of new low-carbon cement and concrete products in public infrastructure. Such procurement policy is exemplified in the recently introduced, bipartisan Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act, which would enable the Department of Transportation to engage in advance purchase commitments of low-carbon concrete products up to three years before they are available — a powerful strategy for accelerating the development and market entry of critical climate solutions.
DC2’s additional areas of advocacy and public sector engagement span expanded tax credits, novel standards development, consistent ecolabeling and accounting, and customer demand support. Prior to the coalition’s official launch, DC2 provided industry perspective to the Department of Energy on the area of demand support, with key takeaways incorporated into the final “Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Low-Carbon Cement” report.
Bert Bruggeman of BioMason said, "A sustainable future relies on cross-industry collaboration and innovation. Success means globally effective frameworks for low-carbon solutions. As founding members of DC2, we proudly lead in solving challenges in the cement and concrete segment, paving the way for a greener future."
Laura Berland-Shane of Blue Planet Systems said, “Blue Planet is honored to stand alongside these innovative companies united by a shared commitment to developing impactful policies designed to hasten the decarbonization of the cement and concrete sectors. In California alone, our 8 cement plants emitted nearly 8 million tons of CO2 in 2019, reflecting the urgent need for this industry to transform.”
Simon Brandler of Brimstone said, "A future net-zero carbon economy depends on eliminating the 8 percent of global emissions from cement and concrete. That's why it's so critical for climate leaders to join forces and push for policies that accelerate the commercial path for transformational low-carbon cement and concrete technologies. That's what DC2 is all about."
Sal Brzozowski of CarbonBuilt said, “In order to unlock the exponential climate benefit of the DC2 members’ technologies, we must overcome the industry’s temptation to embrace incrementalism. DC2’s platform of robust policy, standards, and incentives to scale innovative solutions will not only accelerate deep decarbonization, but also transform the concrete industry from one of the world’s largest CO2 emitters to one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.”
Greg Houchins of Chement said, “There is a critical need to accelerate the commercial development of deeply decarbonizing technologies for cement and concrete for the sake of our climate. It is therefore inspiring to be part of the formation of DC2 along with a diverse set of companies, all across the United States, all unified with this same mission. By working together, we can ensure that truly transformational cement and concrete technologies have a chance to scale to the point where they can realize their full decarbonization potential."
Connor Woodrich of Fortera said, “DC2 imagines a cleaner climate through innovation, collaboration, and a shared understanding that every community will benefit from the installation of low-carbon technology. Fortera is proud to be a founding member of DC2 because we understand that meaningful carbon reduction is only possible through collective action.”
Sarah Williams of Minus Materials said, “Concrete is the second most used material on Earth after water, and it will take a village to decarbonize it! Minus Materials is proud to be laying the foundation for that village alongside the rest of the DC2 by promoting collaboration throughout the ecosystem and working to advance our shared policy goals.”
Daniel Kopp of Queens Carbon said, “We all need to work together to bring about policy awareness and policy change for deployment of low-carbon cement and concrete technologies. DC2 unites multiple innovative companies in a joint mission to accelerate our path towards a zero-carbon future.”
Joe Hicken of Sublime Systems said, “We recognize we are greater than the sum of our parts as individual companies. Together at DC2 we have a powerful voice in advocating that the public sector uses their outsize buying influence to prioritize clean concrete procurement and bankable contract structures that give private investors the confidence in financing our scaling efforts.”
Bill Yearsley, CEO of Terra CO2, said, “It seems increasingly more apparent we’re kicking off the next industrial revolution driven by the race to decarbonize industry at large. At no time in history has industry been faced with rethinking how we manufacture the core materials we depend on and how we produce them.” Michele Blackburn added, “By speaking about our common industrial decarbonization interests, DC2 can magnify our voice, reach, and impact versus each company speaking and acting on their own.”
During a November hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Sen. Alex Padilla recognized the early work of DC2 and the opportunity for the federal government to create a more level playing field for all low-carbon cement and concrete technologies addressing climate change, stating: “[California is] home to four startups in a network of 10 companies referred to as DC2 that are committed to going even further in making cement and concrete with no or very low emissions. However, as I’ve discussed at previous hearings, most current tax credits reward companies that first emit and then capture their emissions but not as much for companies that are lowering or eliminating their emissions altogether.”
Companies focused on decarbonizing cement and concrete who are interested in joining DC2 can learn more and reach out at decarbonizedconcrete.org.
About DC2 The Decarbonized Cement and Concrete Alliance (DC2) is a coalition of innovative companies at the forefront of the global effort to reduce carbon emissions from cement and concrete. Collectively, our technologies rethink production processes and feedstocks, introduce novel materials, and utilize or sequester CO2 directly in concrete — with the goal of decarbonizing the cement and concrete sector. Learn more decarbonizedconcrete.org.