Innovation in cements—can we meet future construction needs sustainably?

There has been an enormous growth in the volume and scope of technical analysis of alternative cements, accompanied by claims of “sustainability”, during the past decade. Some of this growth has been accompanied by real-world actions in terms of commercialization, trials, and deployment. However, there are a very large number of lines of investigation—some of which appear extremely promising from environmental and technical perspectives—that have not yet been translated into reality. This presentation will address some of the key drivers for a sustainable future in cement technology, with a particular focus on alkali-activated materials, including comments on the pathways by which some of the evident potential of these materials can be unlocked for the benefit of society.