Who We Are

Our History

Earth Friendly Cement (EFC) was founded in 2024 as a NGO in Denmark by a group of concerned citizens who recognised the need for a national and worldwide organization to fight against the pollution of Portland cement.

Imagine this: If the current "Portland" cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world with up to 2.8 billion tons produced annually - a staggering 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions! Learn more in the FAQ below.

There are plenty of ways to make Earth Friendly Cement and Green concrete.

Revised technical standards for Portland cements should lay the foundations for the uptake of more climate-friendly products.

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Plus another 50 green cement and green concrete websites worldwide as part of Earth Friendly Cement (NGO).

See full list here

IMPORTANT NEWS!

European Commission Lets Low-Carbon Cements Down and Gives Portland Cement a Free Pass to Continue their Pollution

Our Mission

Our History

Even if Portland "on paper" reach Net-zero by 2050 with the help of CCUS it's actually only the cement part "itself", which is about 60% of its Co2 pollution. The other 40% of the Co2 pollution in cement production comes from the energy consumption needed from power plants in order to burn clinker for the cement production and that Co2 is not mentioned anywhere plus on top of that, you can add all the pollution from quarrying also not taken into the Portland "Net-zero" equation.

This is why we urgently need EPD laws put in place for Portland. We also need to restrict the quarrying of limestone for cement - an unnecessary and damaging exploration of natural resources only to be allowed if no circular waste materials are available.

The biggest current problem is that Portland has no incentives to lower carbon emission as the EU have given them FREE allowance (FAR) on carbon credits to continue pollution. This is unheard of for most other industries in EU, which are forced to buy carbon credits 10x more expensive from inside EU than many other countries!

Most unfortunate; the EU Green Deal has little to do with the environment, but more to do with economy. It's the new way of uncontrolled taxing resulting in raised production and living costs. Just take the Co2 tax on farting cows! The very time consuming CBAM registration madness "Carbon Police" is created to protect the future of European carbon tax revenues.

. The saddest part about the Portland situation is that we have all the knowledge to make the change, but missing the political will to stop the multi-national monopoly of Portland. We must establish new eco-friendly cement standards and force Portland to clean up!

This is our Mission!

Our Vision

Our History

Our Vision

Athens and Rome were build over 2000 years ago and still stands today thanks to "green" pozzolanic cements, where as many newer constructions don't even last a few centuries.

Let's start with what "Green" cement is certainly not: Decarbonizing Portland cement is not "Green" cement. However it's still good news and long overdue, but it's never going to make Portland cement sustainable.

Green cement is 100% clinker-free and made mostly from CWM (Circular Waste Management) in order to support the very important circular economy. It's called "Green" because of its sustainable carbon-negative manufacturing process. Unfortunately many cement companies are confusing consumers by printing cement bags green, to make their product look eco-friendly, but this is actually "greenwashing" and many countries are now implementing laws against it.

The correct word for green cement would be pozzolan or geopolymer. The waste materials plus the added alkaline activators develop its binding properties instead of using Portland cement. Pozzolan and geopolymer also have a better compressive strength than Portland.

Some people are interchanging the words cement with concrete, but green concrete is generally Cement-free, however if green concrete is made from recycled concrete debris it will contain old Portland cement as it was the original binder for the old aggregates.

Confused? You can learn everything about Green cement, biomass, geopolymer, pozzolan and clinker-free cement in the Frequently Asked Questions below.

Forget Portland's old limestone cement!

The Green cement market is projected to reach USD 57.8 billion by 2028.

Explanation of words and abbreviations above

Please reach us at info@greencement.dk if you have any questions.

Why is Portland a Problem?

The negative health effects of cement plant exposure are well-known in industrial settings, but they are less well-known among the general public who live near plants. The broad objective of the review was to provide a detailed systematic analysis of the global situation of the cement industry, including generation, pollution, impact on the natural ecosystem, technological and process improvements, sustainable models, the latest laws, challenges, needs, and ways forward. You can read the full systematic review from Springer here

The global market indicates a substantial increase in cement production from 3.7 billion tons to over 4 billion tons in the past six years, with a projected further rise in the coming years.

However, this growth has excessively depleted non-renewable raw materials in the cement manufacturing process, as producing 1 ton of cement requires 1.7 tons of raw material by quarrying - causing airborne pollution to the surroundings of the mine. Furthermore the actual production process of cement involves the use of massive kilns, which require huge amounts of energy. And the needed chemical process of making cement also emits staggeringly high levels of CO2. This pollution is generating large amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, SOx, NOx, and more dust...

Greenpoint residents in New York say DKN Ready Mix concrete facility has brought dust, noise, and health concerns

These emissions not only contribute to environmental issues such as greenhouse effects, acid rain, or acid fog but also pose serious health risks to surrounding residents, including respiratory system diseases and even cancer!

Nowadays, there is an increasing emphasis on health and rising environmental awareness. Consequently, many countries and regions are encouraging or mandating the construction industry to adopt sustainable practices through legislation, policies, and new standards. To ensure health and environmental compliance, these facilities need to be subject to tighter regulations, including more inspections and air quality monitoring. There is also the matter of proximity—right now, a required buffer zone is established between homes, schools and churches in some US state. Ongoing studies like the EPA's Dallas research will better inform guidance and policies moving forward. The EU needs to do similar health research.

The World Cement Association CEO has just proclaimed that; There has to be a financial benefit to do the right thing! and the UK, the government last year decided to increase the amount of free Co2 allocations available, which is just the sort of thing that completely undermines the certainty you have on the long-term rules you’ll have to abide by. If you talk about investing significant amounts of money in decarbonisation, why would you do it in the UK when you can’t be sure that the rules aren’t going to change again.

Why should ordinary Citizens pay for the clean up of Portland when there are much better eco-friendly and sustainable green cement options. Reforming of the composition and regulations of Portland cement is long overdue!

Giant Alpena (Holcim) cement company's repeated environmental violations under scrutiny

Keith Matheny Detroit Free Press

As global cement manufacturing giant Holcim considers carving out its North American operations for a $30 billion initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, some environmental groups are seizing the moment as an opportunity to push the company to improve on its environmental record. And Holcim's vast cement plant in Alpena, and its repeated history of air and water pollution violations, are a central talking point in their argument.

The Holcim Alpena plant, on the shores of northern Lake Huron in the northeast Lower Peninsula, can produce up to 2.7 million tons of cement annually, making it one of North America's largest cement-producing facilities. The company on its website touts that the plant's cement has been used in construction of Michigan roads, schools, hospitals and high-profile infrastructure projects including the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Little Caesars Arena, Ford Field and Comerica Park.

But the Alpena plant for years has been considered in "High Priority Violation" of the federal Clean Air Act and in "Significant/Category 1 Noncompliance" with the federal Clean Water Act, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — the most serious levels of violations in EPA databases.

Mercury, arsenic and aluminum in the water

A Free Press review of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy records showed Holcim's Alpena plant has received more than 20 air pollution rules violation notices since 2015, including exceedances for carbon monoxide and particulate matter, and repeated instances where required continual emissions monitoring did not occur for extended periods of time.

The Alpena facility has also in recent years exceeded allowed limits of mercury in its effluent, wastewater that ultimately reaches Lake Huron. The facility was in significant noncompliance on total mercury from one of its effluent outfalls from 2016 until returning to allowed limits in March of this year.

A March 2017 EGLE sampling of surface water near Holcim Alpena's Wessel Road Quarry found excessive mercury, arsenic and other potentially harmful metals in all samples. One water sample had mercury at 428 micrograms per liter — nearly 86 times the allowed regulatory limit of 5 micrograms per liter. Aluminum readings in the same water sample were at 9,700 micrograms per liter, some 194 times the regulatory limit.

Repeatedly, the record shows that EGLE will issue Holcim a violation notice, requiring the facility to correct the violation, a corrective action will be taken only for another violation to arise.

"Enforcement has been really, really lax with this facility, and it's impacting the Great Lakes," said Ashley Rudzinski, climate and environment program director for the Traverse City-based nonprofit Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities.

"They dewater the Alpena quarry right into Thunder Bay. This is a major impact for all of the Great Lakes, because mercury pollution obviously impacts our fisheries and our public health."

Carbon Tracker concluded in a recent report that Portland cement production technology has no credible alternatives for decarbonization without carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), but that's not Green Cement...

Carbon Tracker’s review found “a consistent trend of overpromising and underdelivering, worsened by numerous ill-suited business models.” Projects are often delivered late and over budget, while the promised high levels of carbon capture rates are regularly not materialized, it said. “Most projects require tailored engineering and bespoke infrastructure while being characterised by low modularity and scale. As a result, we found very low levels of technology learning and cost reductions in the whole supply chain,” the organization added.

One of the major challenges in the sector is that there is still not a single CCU's system operating commercially in the world. Only Heidelberg Materials is building one, at its cement factory in Norway. The Brevik CCS project, envisaged to capture 50% of the plant’s emissions, is due to be completed this year, but with enormous support money from Norway.

Cement's greenhouse gas emission, mainly coming from two sources. First, to make cement, you need to heat up the limestone to 1,400 degrees Celsius. To get to that high of a temperature, you can't use electricity. So you can't use renewable energy, you have to burn something. That's around 40% of that total emissions. Then the remaining 60%, it's coming from the fact, at this high temperature what happens is, the chemical bonding of the limestone will then form a substance called clinker. Clinker is that grounded into a powder, and that's what we call cement. But that process, the chemical reaction itself, guess what? Co2 comes out of that equation, and that 60%. The other thing, this shows that it's a really difficult process to reduce emissions. So we will call them a hard-to-abate sector.

On the other hand; Green cement is mostly made from Circular Waste Management (CWM) and support the important Circular Economy, CCUS and Portland do NOT plus SBTi recently concluded that carbon credits are mostly ineffective so forget everything about CCUS!

Santa Monica in USA is moving towards ZERO emission CITY

Unlike traditional concrete, which relies heavily on Portland cement (known as clinker) and other materials, the production process for low-carbon concrete minimizes energy consumption, thereby reducing embodied carbon emissions. This move positions Santa Monica as one of the pioneering cities in the world actively combating climate change by reducing embodied emissions from concrete production.

The ordinance requires alternative materials to replace Portland cement in concrete mixes used within the city. These alternatives, such as fly ash, possess lower embedded carbon, thereby maintaining structural integrity and safety standards while significantly reducing the carbon emissions associated with traditional concrete production.

In formulating the ordinance, city staff collaborated with local concrete suppliers and builders, who voiced support and readiness to provide low-carbon concrete options. Remarkably, these alternatives are readily available and often come at a lower cost than traditional cement.

We started the Danish non-profit organization Earth Friendly Cement and its worldwide Clinker-free Green Movement, because we care not only about nature and its resources, but also very much about your health! If you like to support our work, please drop us an email.

What is Green Cement?

The "POZZOLANIC" cement that built Rome and Athens 2000 years ago is still standing today because it is stronger and more durable than our current (Portland) cement, which is a major source of carbon pollution accounting for about 8% of global carbon emissions.

Pozzolanic cement was replaced by Portland cement almost 200 years ago because Portland cement sets faster in one day than Pozzolanic cement.

Green (pozzolanic) cement has now been reengineered to react twice as fast as Portland Cement. Green cement products are stronger than Portland Cement in 28 days and continue to gain long-term strength and higher ductility. During the manufacturing process, carbon emissions are significantly reduced.

Green cement products requires no changes to current industry practice and has been validated by the US DOT (Department of Transportation), Texas DOT, and the Pennsylvania DOT, with hundreds of miles of roadway already complete in Texas using this product.

Green cement is made using industrial wastes, such as blast furnace slag and fly ash. This makes it far more eco-friendly and far less energy-reliant during production, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by at least 40% compared to ordinary concrete. This is also the reason why the cost of Green cement is way less than traditional cement.

Moving past Portland

To produce Portland cement, limestone is mixed with raw materials such as siliceous stone and clay and is heated to about 1,450 °C. During this process, an intermediate product called ‘clinker’ is produced, and about 44 weight percent of the limestone is emitted as carbon dioxide.

The new Green cement production technology, however, synthesizes a calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) clinker by mixing a part of limestone into raw materials, such as coal ash and alumina by-product generated from thermal power plants.

The thermal energy required to produce 1 kilogram of green cement clinker is about 570 kilocalories, which is less than the general Portland cement heat energy of about 720 kilocalories. This reduces energy consumption by 20% and carbon dioxide emissions by 2%,

Moreover, Green cement performs twice as well as Portland cement for High Early Strength Concrete (on a 3-day strength basis, the compressive strength of Portland cement was 12.5 MPa, whereas Green cement was 25 MPa) and expandability (Portland cement was 0.01% whereas green cement was 0.03%), so it can perfectly well be applied to construction fields such as buildings, roads and bridges.

Green cement manufacturing technology can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cement production.

Green Cement Technology (GCT) is developed in order to replace CSA cement with Green cement which utilizes low-quality limestone, power plant's bottom ash, and bauxite residues, a by-product of aluminium manufacturing. Early strength-low shrinkage clinker can be calcinated at a low temperature and has 4CaO·3Al 2 O 3 ·SO 3 base on Portland cement, so it boasts its high performance with low shrinkage, a reduced crack, a wider application such as backfill in exhausted mine.

Low Carbon-High Functionality Green cement was developed based on the technology of early strength-low shrinkage clinker using low-quality limestone and power plant's bottom ash as a main material. The problem of high contents of impurity such as SiO 2 and Fe2O3 in low-quality limestone and power plant's bottom ash can also be solved by manufacturing and material combination method that secures quality safety.

The cement industry produces annually around 3.5 billion tons of general Portland cement, the most common form, with emissions from the sector accounting for about 8% of total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world with up to 2.8 billion tons produced annually. Think about this...! There is no excuse for not using sustainable Green cement as it will also reduce the mining of lime and save resources for future generations on Earth.

So what is Green concrete?

Geopolymer cement is an innovative material that offers a much desired alternative to traditional Portland cement.

Composition:

Geopolymer cement primarily consists of aluminosilicate materials, such as fly ash, slag, or metakaolin.

These source materials are activated with an alkaline solution, which triggers a chemical reaction and forms a three-dimensional, covalent polymeric structure 1.

Difference from Alkali-Activated Slag:

Geopolymer cement is often confused with alkali-activated slag. However, there are significant differences: Alkali-activated slag was developed in the former USSR (now Ukraine) by G.V. Glukhovsky and is used exclusively for making concretes.

Geopolymer technology aims to manufacture binders and cements for various applications, not just concretes 2.

Geopolymers can also form strong chemical bonds with silicate rock-based aggregates 3.

Applications:

Geopolymer cement has been successfully used in various real-world applications, including:

Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport (BWWA) in Queensland, Australia: Approximately 40,000 m³ (100,000 tonnes) of geopolymer concrete were used, making it the world’s largest geopolymer concrete project. The concrete, known as Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC), demonstrated high flexural tensile strength, low shrinkage, and excellent workability 2.

There applications include eco-friendly buildings, infrastructure, and more.

In summary, geopolymer cement represents a sustainable and undervalued alternative to traditional cement, offering both environmental benefits and improved material properties. If you’d like more detailed information, feel free to explore the technical papers and resources available in the Geopolymer Library 2 4.

Now let's look at Geopolymer Cement vs. Portland Cement

Geopolymer Cement: Geopolymer cement is an alternative to Portland cement. It is produced by chemically activating industrial waste materials such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, or rice husk ash. These materials are rich in silica and alumina.

Portland Cement: Portland cement, on the other hand, is made by heating limestone (calcium carbonate) and clay (containing silica and alumina) to high temperatures (around 1450°C) in a kiln. This process releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and constant tear on Earth's resources.

Environmental Impact:

Geopolymer Cement: Geopolymer cement is much more sustainable than Portland cement. It utilizes industrial waste products that would otherwise be discarded as landfill.or used for road stabilization Additionally, geopolymer cement requires significantly lower temperatures during production, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint 1.

Portland Cement: The production of Portland cement emits approximately one ton of CO₂ for every ton of cement produced 2. This contributes to global warming and environmental concerns are finally raised towards this outdated industry. To put it in perspective using a poplar saying; A Portland Cement factory is like having an elephant in a porcelain shop.

Strength and Durability:

Geopolymer Cement: Geopolymer concrete has comparable or even superior strength and durability properties compared to traditional Portland cement concrete. It forms strong covalent bonds during the geopolymerization process 3.

Portland Cement: Portland cement concrete is widely used and has proven performance, but its production process is energy-intensive and contributes to CO₂ emissions. Furthermore Portland cement constantly need to mine for more of the Earth's resources while Geopolymer Cement reuses waste material and becomes an important part of the Circular Economy.

Applications:

Geopolymer Cement: Geopolymer concrete is suitable for various applications, including structural elements, precast construction, and infrastructure projects.

Portland Cement: Portland cement remains the dominant choice for most construction projects due to its long history and easy availability, but moreover due to lack of updated knowledge among constructors and missing education of engineers in Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC).

That combined with insufficient laws and environmental protection policies allow multi-national Portland factories to keep polluting despite much better sustainable solutions are easily available and can be made much cheaper than Portland. This is hopefully about to change!

In summary, geopolymer cement offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to Portland cement, with comparable or even better performance. The old Roman's build aqua ducts 2000 years ago still standing using only Pozzolanic and lime, but modern infrastructures hardly last 50 years! Just look at this collapsed bridge in Genoa, Italy killing 43 people in 2018..

You can always contact us for more information about Green Cement or learn more here:

Geopolymer cement and Geopolymer Concrete

https://www.geopolymer.org/applications/geopolymer-cement/

...

You can follow all the world news and learn much more about the future of Green cement and Green concrete from all our social media:

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This is just the beginning of the "Clinker-free Green Movement".- We own and control 50 Green Cement and Green Concrete domains worldwide: GreenCement.ae, GreenCement.be, GreenCement.ch, GreenCement.cn, GreenCement.dk, GreenCement.ee, GreenCement.es (CementoVerde.es), GreenCement.in, GreenCement.it (CementoVerde.it), GreenCement.mx (CementoVerde.mx), GreenCement.nl, GreenCement.no, GreenCement.ph, GreenCement.pk, GreenCement.pl, GreenCement.ru, GreenCement.uk (co.uk) and GreenCement.us to name a few....

After reading all this I just want you to remember: Green Cement is a sustainable eco-friendly product mostly made from responsible circular waste management (CWM) and therefore supporting the circular economy, which is a very important factor for EarthFriendlyCement.org. On the other hand decarbonizing standard cement production is not Green Cement, but it's a good beginning towards making Portland less pollutive, however their business model is outdated and very questionable in today's world!

Jan Vistisen, founder and Public Speaker for your next Green conference - Book Me -
Together we can build a greener world!

What is Clinker-free?

Let's first look at Clinker and it's Role in Cement?

Clinker is the element within cement responsible for the majority of both its cost and carbon emissions, reducing the clinker content (also know as the clinker factor) of cement has the dual benefit of lowering both the cost of its production and its environmental impact.

Clinker is a nodular material produced during the high-temperature process of cement kiln firing. It consists mainly of calcium silicates and aluminates. When raw materials (such as limestone, clay, and iron ore) are heated in a kiln, they undergo chemical reactions that lead to the formation of clinker.

Clinker is the primary ingredient in cement production. After cooling, it is ground into a fine powder to create cement. The quality and properties of cement largely depend on the composition and characteristics of the clinker.

Cost Implications:
Clinker production is energy-intensive. The high temperatures required for its formation contribute significantly to the overall cost of cement manufacturing. By reducing the clinker content in cement, manufacturers can lower production costs. This reduction can be achieved by using alternative materials or modifying the clinker-to-cement ratio.

Environmental Impact:
Clinker production is associated with substantial carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The chemical reactions during clinker formation release CO₂. The cement industry is a major contributor with up to 8% of global CO₂ emissions due to clinker production. Reducing the clinker factor directly mitigates the environmental impact by lowering CO₂ emissions.

Strategies for Lowering the Clinker Factor:
Blended Cements: Manufacturers can blend clinker with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, slag, or pozzolans. Blended cements have a lower clinker content.

Calcined Clays: Incorporating calcined clays (such as metakaolin) as a partial replacement for clinker reduces the environmental footprint.

Limestone Addition: Limestone can be added during cement grinding to reduce the clinker factor.

Alternative Binders: Researchers are exploring novel binders that eliminate or minimize clinker altogether.

Now to the future of Clinker-Free Alternatives:
To address these challenges, researchers and manufacturers have developed innovative alternatives to traditional clinker-based cement. These alternatives aim to reduce the environmental impact while maintaining or improving technical performance.

Types of Clinker-Free Cement:

Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs):

SCMs are materials that can replace a portion of the clinker in Portland cement. They include both naturally occurring and industrial byproducts like:

Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS): An industrial byproduct.

Fly ash: A pozzolanic material. Silica fume: Another pozzolan.

Calcined clays (metakaolin): Used as an SCM.

Burnt rice husk and natural pozzolans.

Limestone: Although traditionally considered inert, limestone now plays a role in cement hardening. It contributes to concrete strength and can be classified as an SCM 1.

Innovative Clinker-Free Cements:

Companies like Hoffmann Green and CemVision have developed cements without clinker, achieving significant reductions in CO₂ emissions. At least 10 other companies worldwide have taken a professional circular economy approach. The new big thing is Cement-free.com

Benefits of Clinker-Free Cements:

Environmental Impact:

By eliminating clinker, these cements significantly reduce the carbon footprint of concrete. They contribute to eco-building requirements and certifications (e.g., BBC, HQE, LEED, BREAM).

Technical Performance:

Equivalent or better mechanical resistance compared to conventional cements. Low shrinkage, excellent fire resistance, and longer freeze/thaw cycles. Good passivation of concrete reinforcements due to alkalinity and pH close to 12 2.

The development of Clinker-free cement is crucial for sustainable construction. It not only lowers production costs but also helps combat climate change by reducing CO₂ emissions. The utilisation of industrial byproducts in cement assists in the development of the circular economy, diverting materials that would otherwise have to be disposed of as waste to productive uses. That's the main focus of Earth Friendly Cement (NGO) in order to build a greener and less pollutive future for all of us #ClinkerFree

What is Net-zero?

Global net zero emissions describes the state where emissions of greenhouse gases due to human activities, and removals of these gases, are in balance over a given period. It is often called simply net zero. In some cases, emissions refers to emissions of all greenhouse gases, and in others it refers only to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). To reach net zero targets requires actions to reduce emissions. One example would be by shifting from fossil fuel energy to sustainable energy sources. Organizations often offset their residual emissions by buying carbon credits.

People often use the terms net zero emissions, carbon neutrality, and climate neutrality with the same meaning However in some cases, these terms have different meanings from each other. For example, some standards for carbon neutral certification allow a lot of carbon offsetting. But net zero standards require reducing emissions to more than 90% and then only offsetting the remaining 10% or less to fall in line with 1.5°C targets.

In the last few years, net zero has become the main framework for climate action. Many countries and organizations are setting net zero targets. As of November 2023, around 145 countries had announced or are considering net zero targets, covering close to 90% of global emissions. They include some countries that were resistant to climate action in previous decades. Country-level net zero targets now cover 92% of global GDP, 88% of emissions and 89% of the world population.

Net-zero claims vary enormously in how credible they are, but most have low credibility despite the increasing number of commitments and targets, just like the CCUS in cement. Company targets can result from both voluntary action and government regulation.

What is CCUS?

Updated Nov. 15th as "dirty money" infiltrated the UN climate summit COP29

Almost 500 carbon capture lobbyists granted access to Cop29 climate summit

“We are witnessing fossil-fuel greenwashing by those attempting to delay the inevitable fossil fuels phase-out,” said Rachel Kennerley, a campaigner at CIEL. “This large presence of lobbyists is a confirmation that the carbon capture industry is working hard to promote the misguided CCS technology. But governments and companies simply cannot ‘clean’ their coal, oil, and gas by capturing and ‘managing’ emissions.”

Read the full article https://en.armradio.am/2024/11/16/almost-500-carbon-capture-lobbyists-granted-access-to-cop29-climate-summit/

WHAT IS CCU/CCUS/CCS?

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial processes and transporting it to where one intends to use it in industrial processes.

As of 2022, around 73% of the CO2 captured annually is used for enhanced oil recovery. Around 1% of captured CO2 is used as a feedstock for making products such as fertilizer, e-fuels, concrete and reactants for various chemical synthesis.

Regarding a single product, CCUS does not result in a net carbon positive to the atmosphere. If, in addition, this product substitutes one of fossil origin an overall CO2 emission reduction occurs.

There are several additional considerations to be taken into account. As CO2 is a thermodynamically stable form of carbon, manufacturing products from it is energy intensive. The availability of other raw materials to create a product should also be considered before investing in CCUS.

The profitability of CCUS depends partly on the carbon price of CO2, so far not a single CCUS project has been economically viable according to CarbonTracker in the UK.

UK’s carbon capture strategy based on outdated and unrealistic assumptions - Carbon Tracker Initiative

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Bridging the gap between the UK's CCUS targets and reality - Carbon Tracker Initiative

One could claim CCUS are nothing but "hot air" and investors could lose big time!

SBTi review of carbon credits effectiveness frustrates market backers The Science Based Targets initiative’s discussion paper on the limitations of carbon credits in reducing emissions was met with exasperation by carbon market players. The review highlights the challenges of verifying net-zero claims that are set to come under growing scrutiny for greenwashing, say experts.

What is EPD's?

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) transparently reports objective, comparable and third-party verified data about products and services' environmental performances from a lifecycle perspective.

Where the EPD is the final report, the foundation of any EPD is a life cycle assessment (LCA). This LCA allows you to evaluate your product's environmental performance over its entire life cycle. It typically takes into consideration your full value chain, from material extraction to manufactured product, its usage stage and end of life.

An EPD is a so-called type III environmental declaration that is compliant with the ISO 14025 standard. A type III environmental declaration is created and registered in the framework of a programme, such as the International EPD® System. EPDs registered in the International EPD System are publicly available and free to download through the EPD Library, accessible via this link.

In physical terms, an EPD consists of two key documents:

The underlying LCA report, a systematic and comprehensive summary of the LCA project to support the third-party verifier when verifying the EPD. This report is not part of the public communication.

Public EPD document that provides the LCA results and other EPD content.

As a voluntary declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, having an EPD for a product does however not imply that the declared product is environmentally superior to alternatives.

These EPD's are demanded by more and public and private companies in connection with tenders on construction work and therefore very important in order to document sustainability in the cement industry. EPD is the perfect solution and Alfa-Omega to document if a product can be trusted and verified as eco-friendly and sustainable.

What is FAR?

The EU Free Allocation Rules (FAR) entered into force on 28/02/2019 (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/331, Official Journal of the European Union L 59 of 27/02/2019, page 8). It lays down the EU-wide allocation rules for the fourth trading period. The regulation is binding and applies in every Member State.

Unfortunately the existing exemptions from the EU's Emissions Trading System for European heavy industries allows them to pollute for FREE in times of a climate crisis.

Here is a part of the Carbon Market Watch’s Feedback in December 2023 on Free Allocation Regulation (FAR).

A Free Allocation Regulation (FAR) revision is a necessary step to ensure the last years of the free allocation system are coherent with the aim of a full phase-out by 2030 (or 2034 for CBAM sectors) and provide the investment signals necessary to funnel funding into industrial decarbonisation. For these reasons, Carbon Market Watch (CMW) does not endorse the Free Allocation Regulation in its current version. After attentively following the process for its revision within the Climate Change Policy Expert Group over the past months, we witnessed the watering down of the text leading to an increase of free allowances to incumbent industrial sectors. In its current shape, the FAR contradicts the political mandate given to the European Commission during the last review of the EU ETS Directive. CMW therefore calls for the rejection of the FAR proposal as currently drafted.

Cement benchmarks - Annex I The European Commission is well aware that reducing the clinker content is the best way to reduce cement emissions, however they did not want to create an all-encompassing cement benchmark. - In the current proposal, benchmarks are still expressed in tons of (white or gray) clinker; with alternative hydraulic binders added. This is a very small improvement, because most supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) will not fall within the scope of the revision and will be penalised. Technological innovations that effectively lower the most polluting component of cement manufacturing will not be supported by this regulation.

Read the full revision from Carbon Market Watch here

This means in plain English that European Portland cement factories have no incentives to stop their pollution as they don't have to pay for their Co2 emissions like everyone else. It also means that there is very little incentive to invest in alternative green cement and green concrete production in EU. Not the right move towards EU Green Deal 2030!

What is CBAM?

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a carbon tariff on carbon intensive products, such as steel, cement and some electricity, imported to the European Union. Legislated as part of the European Green Deal, it takes effect in 2026, but test reporting starting in 2023. CBAM was passed by the European Parliament with 450 votes for, 115 against, and 55 abstentions and the Council of the EU with 24 countries in favor. It entered into force on 17 May 2023. A similar UK CBAM will be implemented by 2027.

The price of CBAM certificates is linked to the price of EU allowances under the European Union Emissions Trading System introduced in 2005. The CBAM is designed to stem carbon leakage to countries without a carbon price, and will also permit the EU to stop giving free allowances to some carbon-intensive sectors within its borders (let's hope so...).

From October 2023 to the end of 2025 transitional phase: importers of products in six carbon intensive sectors highly exposed to international trade, namely aluminium, cement, electricity, fertilisers, hydrogen and iron and steel will need to report their emissions. During the transitional phase, the regulators will be checking if other products can be added to the list like for example some downstream products.

From the beginning of 2026 importers of products included in these 6 sectors will begin to pay a border carbon tax for their products based on the price of allowances in the European Union Emissions Trading System.

By 2030 all sectors covered by the European Union Emissions Trading System will be covered by CBAM.

By 2034 free allowances in the relevant sectors in the European Union will be phased out as the fully implemented CBAM prevents the possibility of no level playing field for European companies in comparison to importers.

This means cement factories can keep polluting for FREE 10 years more unless local governments starts to take some responsible action or consumer grassroot movements force them to clean-up! There is of course the option that Portland voluntarily begin the clean-up, but here many cement factories are waiting and pushing for government support money (your tax payments) to do so. The World Cement Association CEO has just proclaimed that; There has to be a financial benefit to do the right thing! This is borderline Blackmail...!

BASIC bloc concerned over "discriminatory" carbon taxes, climate finance gaps

What is CWM?

Circular waste management is a sustainable system that focuses on minimizing waste generation, eliminating open burning of waste and littering, and diverting waste from landfills. The system also involves reusing and recycling materials, and efficiently incinerating refuse to generate energy. All kinds of fly ash, slag, biochar and almost any ash left from burning material including volcanic ash are perfect pozzolans for green cement and green concrete. Also recycled glass, rubber, wood and unlimited waste materials ca be used in green concrete.

Green cement and concrete is all about recycling and the reuse of waste materials. There are many successful projects worldwide, but in general it's hard to compete with Portland cement as long as they don't have to pay for their pollution!

Green cement is both stronger and better than Portland. Learn more about a Clinker-free future and follow all the Green cement and concrete news here:

GreenCementNews.com

GreenConcreteNews.com

X @greencement

LinkedIn: Green Cement

LinkedIn: Green Concrete News

FB: Green Cement News

X @co2_credits

Denmark has succeeded in diverting municipal waste from landfills using an efficient policy mix of regulatory and economic instruments such as the 1997 ban on landfilling waste read more

What is Circular Economy?

A circular economy (also referred to as circularity or CE) is a model of resource production and consumption in any economy that involves sharing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. The concept aims to tackle global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution by emphasizing the design-based implementation of the three base principles of the model. The main three principles required for the transformation to a circular economy are: designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. The idea and concepts of a circular economy have been studied extensively in academia, business, and government over the past ten years. It has been gaining popularity because it can help to minimize carbon emissions and the consumption of raw materials, open up new market prospects, and, principally, increase the sustainability of consumption.

Green cement is mostly made from waste products and it's 100% clinker-free and supporting the circular economy. Recent road projects in India were 100% cement-free and made only from recycled waste materials and a new airport in Australia was also build from green concrete. There is no reason not to STOP quarrying limestone for cement and support the circular economy instead!

Read more here from United Nations - the global perspective for waste policies…

What is Greenwashing?

Greenwashing, also called green sheen, is a form of advertising or marketing spin that deceptively uses green PR and green marketing to persuade the public that an organization's products, goals, or policies are environmentally friendly. Companies that intentionally adopt greenwashing communication strategies often do so to distance themselves from their environmental lapses or those of their suppliers.

An example of greenwashing occurs when an organization spends significantly more resources on advertising being "green" than on environmentally sound practices. Greenwashing can range from changing the name or label of a product to evoke the natural environment (for example on a product containing harmful chemicals) to multimillion-dollar campaigns that portray highly-polluting energy companies as eco-friendly. Greenwashing covers up unsustainable corporate agendas and policies.

Many corporations use greenwashing to improve public perception of their brands. Complex corporate structures can further obscure the bigger picture. Critics of the practice suggest that the rise of greenwashing, paired with ineffective regulation, contributes to consumer skepticism of all green claims and diminishes the power of the consumer to drive companies towards greener manufacturing processes and business operations.

Greenwashing has recently increased to meet consumer demand for environmentally friendly goods and services. New regulations, laws, and guidelines are needed!

Here you can find 100 examples of Greenwashing from big corporations to politics

US Acknowledges 68% of Corporate Leaders are Involved in Greenwashing Practices

Mercer Australia landmark $11.3m greenwashing penalty

A step towards sanctioning greenwashing practices in France

71 airlines at Schiphol warned over potential greenwashing

Anti-Greenwashing measures become law with the passing of Bill C-59 in Canada

The Competition Bureau of Canada has declared revisions to the Deceptive Marketing Practices Act aimed at reducing greenwashing.

Read also: Global Efforts and UN Initiatives to Combat Deceptive Environmental Claims

FYI - Are cows farting?

Separating fact from fiction on farting cows

Are the mainstream media and anti-beef activists correct in their accusations that cattle are a major contributor to climate change? Here’s a look at the facts.

Which end of the cow is responsible for most of its methane? Let’s face it: anyone with a coin has a 50-50 chance of getting that right. But based on much of what I’ve read over the years, many mainstream journalists get it terribly wrong. No, it’s not cattle flatulence that is the source of most of the methane gas from cattle. It’s eructation – or burps.

Greenhouse gases from beef cattle production have come under increased scrutiny in the past few months. A seemingly endless series of reports and articles are driving a narrative that eating less meat is a key answer to climate change. Knowing the facts is important in this debate, which isn’t going away any time soon.

As the senior director for sustainability research at NCBA, a contractor for the Beef Checkoff, answering questions about greenhouse gases and cattle is part of my job. While I’m an animal scientist, not a climate scientist, I do have a unique and pertinent background in this field, conducting research where I measured methane emissions directly from cattle. It is true that cattle produce methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, but it’s unlikely methane from U.S. cattle has been a factor in increased global average temperatures in the past few decades.

This is the core message of a new fact sheet available from the beef checkoff’s sustainability research program. In the fact sheet, C. Alan Rotz, Ph.D., USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and Alexander Hristov, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, explain how methane from ruminant animals like cattle is a part of a natural carbon cycle that is different from methane from fossil sources like natural gas.

Cattle consume carbohydrates in plants like native grasses and corn grain. These carbohydrates contain carbon, the fundamental element of all living things, which is derived from carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

When cattle eat carbohydrates, some of the carbon gets converted to CO2 and methane (CH4) by the rumen microbes. About once a minute, a series of rumen contractions releases this gas mixture from the animal’s mouth in a process called eructation, or more simply, belching. If this natural belching process doesn’t occur, cattle can suffer from bloat.

When the methane cattle release enters the atmosphere, it does have an effect of trapping heat energy. However, methane doesn’t stick around very long in the atmosphere.

Over the course of a decade, the methane emitted from a cow will be transformed through a series of photochemical reactions to carbon dioxide. That carbon dioxide can then again be taken up by plants, and the cycle repeats.

Research from Oxford University demonstrates that while methane is potent at trapping heat, if the emissions from a cattle herd are steady, the concentration of methane due to that cattle herd will not increase in the atmosphere. Ultimately, this is representative of the cattle situation in the United States and makes it difficult to point to methane from U.S. cattle as a key driver in increasing methane concentrations in the atmosphere or a key contributor to warming temperatures.

Globally, the situation may be different, as based on available information from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, it seems the global cattle herd has expanded. However, there are many methane sources that may explain the rising concentrations in the atmosphere, from other agricultural sources like rice cultivation to natural sources like wetlands. Another possibility is the increase in natural gas production and use (natural gas is mostly methane gas), and methane leaks from other fossil fuel production systems.

Importantly, carbon in fossil fuels is different than the carbon dioxide and methane that cattle emit, because it is not part of the natural carbon cycle. Fossil fuels are old photosynthetic carbon mostly from plants and algae from 100 to 200 million years ago.

When that carbon is released during the combustion of fossil fuels, the carbon dioxide emitted represents new carbon entering the system. Plants and the oceans have taken up some of this new carbon, but the rest has accumulated in the atmosphere; hence, the increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide we have measured since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

None of this is to say that we should ignore methane emissions from cattle. As Drs. Rotz and Hristov highlight in their fact sheet, mitigating methane emissions can mean improved feed efficiency of cattle as methane represents a loss of feed energy. Feeding concentrates, fats, ionophores, and new feed additives being developed can all mitigate methane emissions. Depending on the future, there may be the potential for carbon credits or other payment options for cutting methane emissions from cattle.

According to newly published research by Glatzle, who has written over 100 scientific papers and two textbooks, “There is no scientific evidence, whatsoever, that domestic livestock could represent a risk for the Earth’s climate.”

That’s news so good you better read it twice! New research is proving what we’ve known all along, and now it’s our job to spread this research far and wide.

As printed in the Climate Dispatch, Glatzle writes, “Our key conclusion is there is no need for anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and even less so for livestock-born emissions, to explain climate change. Climate has always been changing, and even the present warming is most likely driven by natural factors.

“Between 1990 and 2005, the world cattle population rose by more than 100 million head (according to FAO statistics). During this time, atmospheric methane concentration stabilized completely.

Actually the newest research in The GUARDIAN shows cows are valuable!!

Cows help farms capture more carbon in soil, study shows

Research by the Soil Association Exchange shows that farms with a mixture of arable crops and livestock have about a third more carbon stored within their soil than those with only arable crops, thanks to the animals’ manure.

This also has an effect on biodiversity: mixed arable and livestock farms support about 28 grassland plant species in every field, compared with 25 for arable-only and 22 for dairy-only.

Joseph Gridley, chief executive of SAE, which was set up by the Soil Association in 2021 to support and measure sustainable farming, said it was unlikely that carbon captured in soil would balance out the enormous amounts of methane created by cattle. Farm livestock around the world creates about 14% of human-induced climate emissions.

We know this have little to do with Earth Friendly Cement. We just feel the need to point out the injustice in the governments carbon tax plans on its Citizens..

And the potential damage to animal welfare as described in this article: Farting cows; world's first Co2 tax on animals in Denmark

So just for your information..., The Danish government has absolutely no problem with carbon taxing the hell out of animals and its citizens, but carbon taxing the most polluting industrial company Aalborg Portland cement in Denmark is not on the table! Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is certainly not an animal lover - under her direct order and incompetence 20,000+ animals were killed without legal grounds, and for that she was only reprimanded by the Danish Parliament (a little jail time would have been appropriate).

Warning about Greenwashing!

Cement producers are now proclaiming Green cement, but CCUS and carbon offsets are not risk free.

Let's be very clear here; lowering the carbon footprint alone is NOT making cement Green! And the fantasy about capturing Co2 pollution has shown to be mostly ineffective according to recent report from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Furthermore just buying and using carbon credits to make Portland cement stand out as "sustainable" in EPD's and the eyes of consumers is actually contra-productive for reaching the Net-zero 2050 goals. The report highlights the challenges of verifying net-zero claims that are set to come under growing scrutiny for greenwashing, say experts. We at Earth Friendly Cement therefore see potential multi-million dollar lawsuits for greenwashing in the near future, if the cement industry do not take the experts warning seriously!

Even more damningly, SBTi warned that most peer-reviewed literature (84%) found that “treating carbon credits as fungible with other sources, sinks, or reductions of emissions is inadvisable, illogical, or damaging to global mitigation goals.” In plain English this means, there has never been a better time to amend and reform the composition and regulations of Portland cement and demand that ALL public tenders are done with low-carbon cement or better clinker-free!

REALITY CHECK FRESH FROM THE PRESS! MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) also examined those carbon strategies, and what they found was alarming: The strategies rely on overly optimistic — indeed, unrealistic — assumptions about how much CO2 could be removed.... read full article

About Portland Cement in Denmark

Why is there no Green cement in Denmark?

Could it be because our Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen(in the picture) is elected in Aalborg? and that city also happens to be the home town of Aalborg Portland cement factory, right in the center of her constituency! Mette is most famous for her decision to have 20.000 animals killed without legal grounds - a national scandal affecting thousands of families and wiping out the whole mink industry (for which she was reprimanded by the Danish Parliament).

FACTS: Aalborg Portland A/S with under 350 employees is the single most Co2 polluting industrial company in Denmark. They are the only cement factory in Denmark and have de facto monopoly on the Danish cement market since 1986 when the last competitor was closed. Aalborg Portland A/S annual turnover is EUR 1,723 million. It's 100% foreign owned with 75% to Cementir Espana S.L. in Madrid and Globo Cem S.L. in Spain. Final ownership (ultimate beneficiary) is Caltagirone S.p.A. in Italy. CEO is Paolo Zugaro, who is also responsible for the Nordics & Baltics + Group Chief Operating officer at Cementir Holding. The Board of Directors responsible for the huge pollution - one Dane and 6 Italians.

Danish Technologic Institute has since their greenconcrete.dk website 24 years ago and almost DKK 100 million in innovation funds until today, not been able come up with a green cement solution for Denmark, despite many other countries like France and Sweden already produce green cement.

We think it's because Alborg Portland always take part in these DTI study projects and have zero interest in giving up market shares much less to sustainable cement competition in Denmark.

If Mette illegally could close down a whole industry, why is she and her environmental minister Magnus Heunicke including The Danish Environmental Protection Agency not doing anything to force the single most polluting (100% foreign owned) company in Denmark to clean-up...?

There is most probably a similar situation in your country if you don't have Green cement yet!

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Lack of green cement standards puts EU at ‘competitive disadvantage’ The only logical and responsible way to reduce the industry’s climate impact, is to change the composition and regulation of cement and update the old and inadequate building codes now!

Explanation of words and abbreviations above

Giant Alpena (Holcim) cement company's repeated environmental violations under scrutiny

Mercury, arsenic and aluminum in the water

Geopolymer cement and Geopolymer Concrete

Almost 500 carbon capture lobbyists granted access to Cop29 climate summit

BASIC bloc concerned over "discriminatory" carbon taxes, climate finance gaps

US Acknowledges 68% of Corporate Leaders are Involved in Greenwashing Practices

Mercer Australia landmark $11.3m greenwashing penalty

Read also: Global Efforts and UN Initiatives to Combat Deceptive Environmental Claims

Cows help farms capture more carbon in soil, study shows

Warning about Greenwashing!

Cement producers are now proclaiming Green cement, but CCUS and carbon offsets are not risk free.

Green Cement World News

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FREE merchandise handout to supporters during the manifestation!

About Portland Cement in Denmark

Why is there no Green cement in Denmark?

There is most probably a similar situation in your country if you don't have Green cement yet!

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