UltraTech Cement announces joining '2050 Climate Ambition'

22nd September, 2020

UltraTech Cement Limited, as a founding member of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), has committed to the ‘2050 Climate Ambition’ announced by GCCA on behalf of all its member companies. The GCCA’s ‘2050 Climate Ambition’ is the member companies’ commitment to drive down the CO2 footprint of their operations and products, and their collective aspiration to deliver society with carbon neutral concrete by 2050. The industry is coming together to outline this important ambition of a carbon neutral future for the world’s key building material.

The ‘2050 Climate Ambition’ provides an opportunity for UltraTech, India’s largest producer of grey cement, white cement and ready mix concrete, to reinforce its commitment to further reduce the carbon footprint of its products. UltraTech will work with GCCA and its members across the built environment value chain to deliver this aspiration in a circular economy, whole life context.

The ‘2050 Climate Ambition’ statement identifies the essential levers that will be required to achieving carbon neutral concrete, including: reducing and eliminating energy related emissions, reducing process emissions through new technologies and deployment of carbon capture, more efficient use of concrete, reuse and recycling of concrete and buildings, and harnessing concrete’s ability to absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere.

Mr. Kailash Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech, said, “UltraTech is a firm believer that companies across the built environment can come together and build climate resilient structures in a below 1.5-degree world. We believe this journey will be challenging but are fully committed to working together within our sector, and with wider partners, to achieving our ambition. Our company has stepped up climate action by accelerating adoption of key levers like low clinker products, energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste heat recovery, and use of alternate fuel and raw material.”

Climate change agenda has been core to UltraTech Cement’s business growth strategy. UltraTech has adopted new age tools like Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), Internal Carbon Price and Energy Productivity (#EP100) as part of its efforts to accelerate adoption of low carbon technologies and processes across its value chain and thus reduce carbon footprint over the life cycle. The Company has successfully substituted a part of clinker in cement manufacture with fly ash, GGBS and other cementitious material to increase the use of industrial waste. The Company has ambitious plans to increase share of blended cement as well increasing share of alternate fuels and raw material, waste heat recovery systems, and renewable energy. UltraTech is continuously endeavouring to make its products more environment friendly. Currently, 73 UltraTech products have received GreenPro Certification.

UltraTech became the first commercial ready mix concrete (RMC) manufacturer in India to adopt concrete recycling technology and create the first ‘zero discharge’ concrete plant. More than 50% of raw material from unused concrete is recycled for making fresh concrete and used back in the process. UltraTech is India’s first concrete company to meet the requirement of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other green building rating systems as recognized by the Indian Green Building Council.

For more details about the ‘2050 Climate Ambition’ please visit: https://gccassociation.org/climate-ambition/