GCCA Sustainability Guidelines for the

monitoring and reporting of CO2

emissions from cement manufacturing

November 2018

Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is registered in England & Wales, Company No 11191992,
Registered office: Paddington Central, 6th Floor, 2 Kingdom Street, London, W2 6JP, United Kingdom Page 1/10
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................ 3
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 3
1.1 The Global Cement and Concrete Association ........................................ 3
1.2 GCCA Sustainability Charter ................................................................ 4
1.3 Background ...................................................................................... 4
1.4 Relation to Other Documents .............................................................. 4
2. RELEVANCE ......................................................................................... 5
3. OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................ 6
4. OPERATIONAL CONTEXT ....................................................................... 6
4.1 CO2 Emissions: Direct/Indirect and Scopes ........................................... 7
Table 1 – Sources of direct and indirect emissions .......................................... 7
4.2 Gross and Net Emissions .................................................................... 8
Figure A - Indirect saving of CO2 emissions by the use of waste as alternative
fuel .......................................................................................................... 8
Table 2 – Gross and net emissions ............................................................... 9
4.3 Emissions Measurements .................................................................... 9
5. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ........................................................... 9
Table 3 – Key Performance Indicators for CO2 & Energy in cement manufacturing
............................................................................................................. 10
6. GLOSSARY AND DEFINITIONS.............................................................. 10

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Climate Change is one of the major societal challenges of society in 21st century and the cement
and concrete sector has a crucial role to play in meeting this challenge. Concrete is the second
most used material in the world (after water), with significant volumes demanded globally to
build homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces and infrastructure for transport, energy and clean
water. Concrete is integral to any climate change strategy not only for building the
infrastructure needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change but also because its key
component cement has a high carbon intensity.

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is committed to support all of its members
and the sector in reducing the emissions of Greenhouse Gases and to improve their carbon
footprint. Considering that the carbon footprint of concrete is dominated by the production of
cement, and the major GHG associated with cement is CO2, the GCCA has released this
guideline for monitoring and reporting CO2 emissions of the cement production which also
covers energy consumption as one of the key drivers for CO2 emissions in the sector. These
guidelines give an introduction to the monitoring and reporting process, specifies applicable
protocols, and delivers the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are considered most
relevant for the cement industry. The KPIs can also be used by companies for benchmarking
their performance.

GCCA full members are committed to annually report these KPIs to the GCCA through an
independent third party and to report these KPIs at company level to their stakeholders. The
GCCA publishes aggregated results, taking into account legal constraints and confidentiality
limitations.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Global Cement and Concrete Association

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is the global voice of the cement and
concrete sector. One of the objectives is to develop and strengthen the sectors contribution to
sustainable construction across the value chain. The GCCA aims to foster innovation throughout
the construction value chain in collaboration with industry associations as well as architects,
engineers, developers, contractors and innovators. In this way, the association demonstrates
how concrete solutions can meet global construction challenges and sustainable development
goals while showcasing responsible industrial leadership in the manufacture and use of cement
and concrete. The GCCA was established in January 2018 and is headquartered in London.

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 1.2 GCCA Sustainability Charter

These “Guidelines for monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions from cement manufacturing”
are part of a package of guidelines developed to support compliance with the GCCA
Sustainability Charter1. The GCCA Sustainability Charter has identified five key pillars which
encompass the sustainability spectrum of the cement and concrete sector, and has set out
requirements for full members against each of these.
1. Health & Safety
2. Climate Change & Energy
3. Social Responsibility
4. Environment & Nature
5. Circular Economy
In applying these guidelines GCCA full members must implement the general requirements of
the “GCCA Sustainability Framework Guidelines2.

1.3 Background

Climate change is a major challenge to society, and business plays a key role in living up to
that challenge. Cement is the glue to keep the ingredients of concrete together. With a growing
global population, modern society will need concrete for housing, infrastructure and utilities all
of which are important for quality of life and society,
The contribution of cement and concrete to climate change is twofold. Firstly, concrete is a
sustainable construction material with a unique combination of properties including availability,
affordability, longevity and flexibility that make it an inevitable building block of the world’s
transition towards a carbon-constrained future. Concrete can help to construct the
infrastructure needed to mitigate and adapt to the consequences of climate change and offers
benefits its capacity to store heat can greatly enhance the energy efficiency of buildings
compared to other construction materials. Secondly, the production of concrete and its
ingredients is a major source of CO2 emissions, in particular, the production of cement (which
contributes an estimated 85 - 90% to concrete’s carbon footprint) accounts for over 5% 3 of
manmade GHG emissions. Considering the growth perspectives and the nature of emissions in
the sector (that make significant reductions rather hard to achieve) this percentage may rise
significantly in the future.

1.4 Relation to Other Documents

This document, in conjunction with the GCCA Sustainability Framework Guidelines, provides
guidance to GCCA full members to fulfil the requirements of the GCCA Sustainability Charter
relating to Climate Change & Energy. It is based on the CEN Standard EN 19694-34.

1
GCCA Sustainability Charter, November 2018
2
GCCA Sustainability Framework Guidelines, November 2018.
3
Toward a Sustainable Cement Industry, Battelle, 2002
4
EN 19694-3: Stationary source emissions — Determination of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in energy-
intensive industries — Part 3: Cement industry

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2. RELEVANCE

The relevance of climate change mitigation and adaptation is now well established in global
society. Early action by the cement sector has resulted in a continuous decrease of emissions
per tonne of product since 1990 (reference year), but at that the same time the global cement
demand has increased to more than 4 billion tonnes in 2016 5 with a total emissions of about
2.2 Gigatonnes CO2 in 20146 which according to the IEA, represents a 27% share of global
direct industrial CO2 emissions.

Achieving the sustainable transition of the 2 degree Celsius Scenario from the UNFCCC Paris
Agreement implies a significant reduction of the global direct CO2 emissions from cement
manufacture of 24% compared to current levels by 2050 given the expected increase in global
cement production7. While this reduction may appear to be relatively modest, it has to be
considered that significant further CO2 reductions from cement manufacturing are challenging
for a number of reasons:

1. Limestone, a key raw material, emits CO2 at the high temperatures needed for production
of Portland cement clinker. These so-called process emissions account for about 60% of
total CO2 emissions are very hard to reduce.
2. The other 40% of CO2 emissions arise from the combustion of fuels which provide the heat
for the process and from emissions from electricity generation. While there is greater
potential to reduce CO2 emissions from combustion of fuels this depends on the availability
and policy on use of alternative fuels (especially those with a biomass content). Energy
efficiency is not expected to contribute significantly to CO2 reduction as modern clinker kilns
already operate close to their thermodynamic optimum.
3. Recognised short- to medium-term levers to reduce CO2 is the use of clinker substitutes,
but these may be constrained by the availability of suitable substitutes as a result of GHG
reduction efforts in other sectors (e.g. less fly ash due to phasing out of coal-fired power
generation).
4. Cement demand and production will continue to grow at global level as indicated by the IEA.
With continued emissions reductions in other industrial sectors, the relative share of cement
industry emissions may increase due to the technological and economic challenge of
reducing process emissions.

These GCCA guidelines focus on the practicalities of monitoring and reporting CO 2 emissions
from cement production. As part of the standardisation processes under CEN, this methodology
has been proven during field tests8:
1. Mass balance on the output or input of cement plants show the highest level of accuracy of
CO2 emissions. The mass balance methods account for the total carbon content and thus all
oxidised carbon (CO2 and CO). This sum covers more than 99.5 % of the direct GHG
emissions.
2. The direct GHG emissions of cement plants almost entirely consist of CO2. The contribution
of other non-CO2 GHG emissions has been shown to be negligible.

5
CEMBUREAU Activity Report 2017, June 2018
6
Technology Roadmap, Low-Carbon Transition in the Cement Industry, WBCSD / IEA, April 2018
7
Same reference.
8
Stationary source emissions — Determination of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in
energy-intensive industries — Part 3: Cement industry, EN-19694-3

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The mass balance concept used in these guidelines, covers all cement plant CO2 emissions
including those from the main stack and from other emission points.

3. OBJECTIVES

This document, in conjunction with the GCCA Sustainability Framework Guidelines, provides
guidance to GCCA full members to fulfil the requirements of the GCCA Sustainability Charter
relating to Climate Change & Energy. However, the importance of monitoring and reporting
should not be reduced to a requirement under the GCCA Sustainability Charter, it is the basis
of all efforts to manage and reduce CO2 emissions and supports transparent communication
with stakeholders.

GCCA full members have committed to:

1. Develop a climate change mitigation strategy and publish targets and progress.
2. Report annually to the GCCA climate change data in line with the guidelines.

These guidelines are intended as a tool for cement companies worldwide. They provide a
harmonised methodology for calculating CO2 emissions from cement production, with a view to
reporting these emissions for various purposes. They address all direct and the main indirect
sources of CO2 emissions related to the cement manufacturing process

4. OPERATIONAL CONTEXT

CO2 emissions from cement production arise from different sources within the production
process and therefore will be emitted by several point sources. The most accurate way to
measure these emissions is based on the mass balance methodology in which the input of
materials (fuels, raw materials) and output (clinker, cement, dust) is combined with emissions
factors (measured or from default values).
The methodology is fully described the CEN standard on CO2 emissions from the cement
industry9. These guidelines are accompanied by an Excel spreadsheet as practical tool to help
cement plants and cement companies to prepare CO2 inventories. An Internet Manual10 is
available on the CO2 Excel-file with detailed explanations and guidance.

9
Stationary source emissions — Determination of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in energy-intensive
industries — Part 3: Cement industry, EN-19694-3
10
www.cement-co2-protocol.org

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 4.1 CO2 Emissions: Direct/Indirect and Scopes

Direct and indirect CO2 emissions in cement production result from the sources indicated in
table 1. Direct emissions are emitted at the cement plant, while indirect emissions are related
to the cement production, but do not occur at the cement plant itself. Apart from this
differentiation on direct and indirect, the differentiation on the so-called scope of the emissions
is needed. In conformance with the WRI / WBCSD Protocol11 there are three scopes:
1. Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions occurring from sources that are owned or controlled
by the company.
2. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, heat
and steam12 consumed in the company’s owned or controlled equipment.
3. Scope 3 is an optional reporting category that allows for the treatment of all other indirect
emissions. Scope 3 emissions are a consequence of the activities of the company but occur
from sources not owned or controlled by the company. For cement production the emissions
occurred at the production of clinker volumes purchased are a clear Scope 3 emission.

Direct or Source Scope Covered

indirect
1 Direct Calcination of carbonates, and combustion of 1 Yes
organic carbon contained in raw materials.
2 Direct Combustion of kiln fuels related to clinker 1 Yes
production
a. Combustion of conventional fossil fuels
b. Combustion of alternative fossil fuels and
mixed fuels with biogenic carbon content
c. Combustion of biomass fuels and biofuels
(including biomass wastes).
3. Direct Combustion of non-kiln fuels (e.g. hot gas 1 Yes
generator, dryers)
a. Combustion of conventional fossil fuels
b. Combustion of alternative fossil fuels and
mixed fuels with biogenic carbon content
c. Combustion of biomass fuels and biofuels
(including biomass wastes.
4. Direct Combustion of fuels for on-site power generation. 1 Yes
5. Direct Combustion of the carbon contained in wastewater. 1 No
6. Indirect Emissions related to the electrical power consumed 2 Yes
from external power production
7. Indirect Emissions related to clinker purchased. 3 Yes
8. Indirect Emissions related to business travels 3 No
9. Indirect Emissions related to the production, preparation 3 No
and transport of (alternative) fuels outside the
company.

Table 1 – Sources of direct and indirect emissions

11
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol. A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. WBCSD / WRI 2004, World
Business Council for Sustainable Development & World Resources Institute, 2004 revised edition
12
In cement production imports of heat and steam are not relevant and therefore not covered in this guideline.

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 4.2 Gross and Net Emissions

Some waste materials may substitute traditional fossil fuels and minerals in cement production.
The recovered wastes are called alternative fuels and raw materials. As a result, direct CO 2
emissions from traditional fuels are reduced but direct CO2 emissions from wastes (“waste-to-
energy conversion”) occur. The direct CO2 emissions from waste combustion can be higher or
lower than the displaced fossil fuel source, depending on the emission factors of the fuels
involved. Moreover, wastes can be of fossil, biomass or mixed origin.

In addition to those direct effects, utilisation of Alternative Fuels results in indirect GHG (e.g.
not only CO2) savings at landfills and incineration plants where these wastes may otherwise be
disposed. These savings can partly, fully or more than fully offset the direct CO2 emissions from
waste combustion at the cement plant, depending on local conditions (type of waste, reference
disposal path), see Figure A.

Figure A - Indirect saving of CO2 emissions by the use of waste as

alternative fuel

Gross emissions are the total direct CO2 emissions (excluding on-site power generation) from
a cement plant or organisation, including CO2 from fossil wastes (but excluding CO2 from
biomass wastes, which is not reported). Advantages from indirect CO2 savings reflect the CO2
emission reductions achieved at waste disposal sites as a result of alternative fuels utilisation
in cement plants. This is indicated13 in Table 2.

13
Petcoke is seen as traditional fossil fuel and therefore related emissions are not considered as climate change
neutral in conformity with the WRI / WBCSD Greenhouse Gas protocol.

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 Total direct emissions - Emissions from pure biomass = Fossil direct emissions
and from the biogenic carbon
content of mixed fuels
Fossil direct emissions - Emissions from on-site power = Gross emissions
production
Gross emissions - Emissions from alternative fossil⎯ ⎯
fuels and non-biogenic content ⎯ ⎯
of mixed fuels ⎯ ⎯
- Comparable benchmark ⎯ =
⎯ Net emissions
emissions for external heat
transfer

Table 2 – Gross and net emissions

4.3 Emissions Measurements

It is possible to measure the CO2 emission at the main stack of a cement kiln. The development
of measurement technologies is progressing positively and the accuracy is improving.
Nevertheless, these guidelines require that the CO2 performance of cement manufacturing shall
use the mass balance methodology.
The mass balance methodology has the advantage that the factors that influence the
performance of a cement plant can be readily identified, e.g. thermal energy consumption,
electrical power consumption for cement grinding, biomass fraction, etc.

5. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The GCCA is aware of the need to track the progress of improvements, and to communicate
this progress clearly to stakeholders. These guidelines therefore include a number of simple,
reliable and representative KPIs.
For a basic performance comparison four KPIs have been defined as indicated in Table 3. For
the calculation of these KPIs the Basic Parameters as set out in the GCCA Sustainability
Framework Guidelines will be needed.

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 Key Performance Unit Explanation
Indicators
1. Total CO2 emissions metric tonnes/year Total direct CO2 emissions
- gross (excluding on-site electricity
production) originating from fossil
carbon, i.e. excluding CO2
emissions from biomass which are
considered climate neutral.
2. Total CO2 emissions metric tonnes/year Gross CO2 emissions minus CO2
- net emissions from alternative fossil
fuels.
3. Specific CO2 kg / tonne cementitious Gross CO2 emissions per tonne of
emissions - gross material cementitious materials produced.

4. Specific CO2 kg / tonne cementitious Net CO2 emissions per tonne of

emissions - net material cementitious materials produced.

Table 3 – Key Performance Indicators for CO2 & Energy in cement

manufacturing

6. GLOSSARY AND DEFINITIONS

CEN: European Committee for Standardisation

IEA: International Energy Agency

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