Green Cement to Reduce Our Country’s Carbon Emissions

On March 16, 2024, the Official Gazette issued a communique regarding the ‘Promotion of the Use of Green Cement,’ a primary focus of the Turkish cement sector in recent years. The Communique on the Promotion of the Use of Green Cement with Low Carbon Emissions in Public Procurement Contracts imposes restrictions on the use of other types of cement in public procurement tenders, encouraging the adoption of green cement with low carbon emissions starting from 2025. 

The communique regarding the promotion of the use of Green Cements, which has been diligently prepared by TÜRKÇİMENTO, the umbrella organization of the cement sector, has now been put into effect. Volkan Bozbay, the CEO of TÜRKÇİMENTO, has stated that the recent communique will enable the industry to reduce carbon emissions by 11 million tons over the next decade. This reduction will also prevent importing 1.3 million tons of petroleum coke and coal. Furthermore, this move is expected to have the environmental impact of planting 500 million trees, thus providing substantial environmental benefits.” 

The objective of the communique is to encourage the adoption of green cement, namely CEM II, CEM III, CEM IV, CEM V, and their equivalents that have lower clinker rates and carbon emissions and are superior in terms of environmental impacts, technical benefits, and cost advantages in comparison to CEM-I Portland cement. The communique stipulates that, between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2029, the maximum clinker rate in cement used for public procurement tenders containing cement and public construction works should be 0.80. Furthermore, the clinker rate in cement to be used for public procurement tenders containing cement and public construction contracts from January 1, 2030, should not exceed 0.75. 

Volkan Bozay, the CEO of TÜRKÇİMENTO, has evaluated the communique that aims to promote the widespread use of Green Cement, saying: 
“The recent publication of this communique in the Official Journal regarding the promotion of the widespread use of green cement with low carbon emissions is a critical issue for our sector that we have been diligently working on for the past few years. Given the forthcoming requirements of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for our industry, we are of the opinion that our country can benefit greatly by promoting the use of green cement, owing to its economic viability and minimal environmental impact during the cement production process. To provide a concrete example on the matter, if there is an increase in the usage of low clinker, that is, low carbon cement in our country, and the ratio of clinker to cement is reduced to 0.80 in the first stage and then to 0.75 by 2030, it will lead to a reduction of 11 million tons of carbon emissions in the next decade, preventing 1.3 million tons of petroleum coke and coal imports, and offering an environmental benefit equivalent to 500 million trees. Enhanced collaboration among industry stakeholders, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the public has become increasingly imperative while keeping in mind the need for regulations on the access of the sector to alternative raw materials and fuels to ensure that the sector obtains the necessary outcomes for decarbonatization and low-carbon production.”