The cement industry reinvents itself: building a more sustainable future 

In recent years, the cement sector has made significant progress in reducing polluting emissions, a challenge that has historically placed the industry at the center of the sustainability debate. The cement industry, aware of its environmental impact, has been implementing various technologies and strategies to minimize its carbon footprint, including process optimization, the use of alternative fuels, and research into new, more sustainable formulas for cement production, the latter being the focus of this publication.

Evolution of the cement sector towards the inclusion of sustainable practices

At a time of climate crisis like the present, focusing on sustainability and the development of more environmentally friendly policies is almost an obligation, especially if the focus is on an industry whose main material releases large amounts of CO2 in its production. This is precisely what the cement sector has been trying to do for some years now: to focus on the creation of new norms and standards related to raw materials for cement manufacture, either through natural materials or new waste.

The objective is clear: to stop being responsible for between 4% and 8% of global CO2 emissions.

These standards include the following:

• EN 197-5 “Composite Portland cements”: Introduced in 2021, this standard addresses the production of cements with a lower carbon footprint, it focuses especially on the reduction of clinker as the main component of cement. This material is produced by heating a mixture of limestone and clay in kilns at extremely high temperatures, releasing high amounts of CO2 in the process. To compensate for the reduction of this material, the standard promotes the use of alternative materials ranging from fly ash to natural pozzolans or calcareous materials. The same standard also ensures that these materials meet the necessary strength classes to be comparable to traditional cements, maintaining their durability and performance, but achieving a lower environmental impact.
• EN 197-6 “Cements with recycled building materials”: Published in 2022, EN 197-6 is also, like the previous standard, an extension of the EN 197 series of standards. This standard allows the use of recycled material as an addition to cement, thus promoting the reuse of construction waste and bringing the cement industry closer to the goals of decarbonization and environmental sustainability in construction. However, this standard, designed for projects with high sustainability requirements, may require additional durability studies for certain structural uses.
• UNE 80312 “Cements with bottom ash”: This Spanish standard regulates the specifications and quality criteria for cement with bottom ash, thus allowing the use not only of fly ash (previously the only one authorized) but also of other types of ash in cement production. This standard also establishes the requirements that this type of cement must meet in order to be used in construction, especially in civil works and building applications. By replacing part of the clinker with these ashes, it is possible to take advantage of a waste product with a high environmental impact. 

The role of Applus+ Certification in supporting the cement industry in its ecological transition

Applus+ Certification, a benchmark in the certification of construction products, supports companies in their ecological transition to ensure a greener and more environmentally friendly future. To this end, in recent years it has specialized in sustainability certification, including construction products in the cement sector among its services.

For the first two standards mentioned in the previous point (EN 197-5 and EN 197-6), Applus+ Certification has become in 2024 the first entity in Spain accredited by ENAC that can certify cements based on these standards.

On the other hand, it is also important to highlight that the company is a certifying entity of the Concrete Sustainability Council, being one of the few certifiers worldwide for concrete, cements and aggregates. It is also the only certifier of reference in Spanish-speaking countries, which has enabled it to become the benchmark for certification of this scheme in Latin America.

These certifications are in addition to the usual ones that we certify from the company: CE marking, Spanish homologation, A+ mark, environmental product declarations (EPDs), carbon footprint, water footprint, etcetera.

All these achievements and recognitions not only reinforce our commitment to excellence and sustainability, but also position us as a key strategic ally in the sustainable transformation of the construction sector.

Looking to the future, we will continue to drive innovation and best practices in certification, thus contributing to building a more sustainable world for generations to come.

Our goal, and the goal for which we work daily with the team of professionals that make up our company and the companies that rely on us, is to be an active part of the transition to a greener, more efficient and environmentally responsible cement industry.