Reaching Our Goal

Partnership for Change

The PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality is an ambitious plan. Our industry can reach net zero by 2050, but we will struggle to do it alone. We will need policymakers and regulators, architects and contractors, state governments and others to work with us as we build a sustainable future.

Aerial view of a concrete plaza with many people walking over it

Angled shot of roman style columns outside of a government building

United States Environmental Protection Agency building in Washington, DC. USA

Low shot of an elevated concrete expressway

County & Community

West coast cement company CalPortland’s Mojave plant is partnering with county government and communities to reduce carbon emissions. The plant worked with Kern County to establish a nearby greenfield site where it mines volcanic tuff. By using this carbon-neutral ingredient in the manufacturing process, Mojave will lower annual CO2 emissions by the equivalent of more than 336 million pounds of coal burned, while boosting the local economy. Read more

State Policymakers

PCA member companies are working hand in hand with state policymakers. In Maryland, which has adopted a 2045 sustainability goal of its own, Heidelberg Materials’ Union Bridge Cement plant is working with the state house and academic stakeholders to get input and buy-in on plant decarbonization strategies. Read more

Ratings Organizations

PCA member Roanoke Cement Company is prioritizing energy savings and waste minimization in its efforts to meet the Roadmap’s benchmarks. By leveraging partnerships with ratings and standards organizations, the company has earned more than 15 consecutive EPA ENERGY STAR® awards and met the rigorous ISO 50001 Energy Management standard. Read more

National Road Research Alliance

PCA member company Continental Cement innovated to produce a low carbon–footprint cement. Continental partnered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and National Road Research Alliance to test this more sustainable cement for future transportation infrastructure. Read more

Fast Fact

All 50 state Departments of Transportation in the U.S. have approved the use of low-carbon Portland-limestone cement.

A Greener Cement

Get on Board!

What You Can Do

Invest in R&D

To meet the 2050 carbon neutrality goal, the cement and concrete industry needs government support for innovation across the value chain. Policymakers can prioritize research and funding for ongoing industry efforts.

Streamline Permitting Rules

Several existing rules, plus uncertainty around rule changes, get in the way of plant modernization—especially with regard to CCUS implementation. Federal updates to regulatory practices will be crucial to meeting our goal.

Adopt a Life Cycle Approach in Procurement

Procurement policies often incentivize sustainability—but the analyses that determine impact tend to be cradle-to-gate rather than cradle-to cradle. The cement industry’s ability to invest in green practices depends on incentives that consider the full life cycle of the product.

And There’s More!

Read our full analysis of how specific policies will allow the industry to meet the important sustainability goals set in the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality.

See the Roadmap Summary

Developing A Lower Carbon Concrete Protocol

PCA and other collaborators across the cement-concrete-construction value chain have formed voluntary guidelines, intending to lower the carbon of a concrete project without sacrificing long-term performance characteristics.

View the Voluntary Guidelines

How Impact is Quantified

Current rules and guidelines for evaluating the environmental impact of materials and their manufacture are plant- rather than lifecycle focused. This skews the result and hampers progress.

More About EPDs