Cement and concrete decarbonisation roadmaps – a meta-analysis within the context of the United Kingdom

Decarbonisation is the most urgent issue facing the cement and concrete industries, with an aim to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. In response to this, several decarbonisation roadmaps have been published in recent years, to explore routes for how different decarbonisation strategies can be used to achieve this aim. However, there is a lack of understanding around the similarities and differences between these roadmaps. In this study a meta-analysis of nine cement and concrete sector roadmaps was conducted, with a detailed focus on five roadmaps covering Europe emphasising their applicability within the context of the United Kingdom. Whilst there are some similarities amongst roadmaps in terms of the decarbonisation strategies which are consistently recommended, there are also key differences. Industry roadmaps oriented towards cement-based strategies, whilst non-industry roadmaps were more inclusive of concrete-based strategies. The significance of this study is to highlight the difficulties faced by policymakers and investors in choosing which strategies to prioritise, when there is still considerable uncertainty in the roadmap literature. Recommendations are made for a greater focus on consideration of the construction sector practices which provide more autonomy to practitioners to adopt and implement concrete-based strategies and dematerialisation in future iterations of industry roadmaps, and more research into the capital and operating costs of technological innovations.