MANILA, Philippines – Philippine cement manufacturers have adopted a long-term roadmap to cut carbon emissions by increasing alternative fuel use and reducing reliance on carbon-intensive clinker through 2050.
Under the Philippine Cement and Concrete Industry Decarbonization Roadmap, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) aims to nearly triple alternative fuel use to 36 percent by 2050 from 13 percent in 2024.
Meanwhile, CeMAP aims to cut clinker content to 58 percent by 2050 from 75 percent in 2024.
Clinker, a by-product when heating limestone and clay, is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in cement manufacturing, accounting for about 90 percent of the industry’s emissions.
Under the roadmap, CeMAP President John Reinier Dizon said the industry will pursue a unified decarbonization strategy while meeting infrastructure and housing demand.
“Developing and implementing a Cement and Concrete Decarbonization Roadmap is important because it provides a clear, coordinated strategy for one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries to reduce emissions while continuing to support economic growth and infrastructure development,” Dizon said in a statement.
Dizon said the industry plans to replace more coal with alternative fuels, including nonrecyclable waste, and increase use of supplementary cementitious materials to cut cement’s carbon footprint.
The roadmap also marks a milestone for the Philippine cement sector in Southeast Asia.
While Thailand first published a cement decarbonization roadmap, CeMAP said the Philippines is the first in Southeast Asia to adopt one jointly developed by government and industry.
“A Cement and Concrete Decarbonization Roadmap is more than an environmental document—it is an industrial development strategy. It ensures that as our nation continues to build homes, schools, hospitals, roads, and other vital infrastructure, we do so with lower carbon emissions, greater efficiency, enhanced competitiveness, and stronger resilience,” Dizon said.
CeMAP developed the roadmap with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The Department of Trade and Industry, CeMAP, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the Government of Canada launched the roadmap on Monday. /pai INQ