Leading decision-makers from construction sector as well as top executives from cement companies and equipment manufacturing units will be in Portugal, on November 10 for a key event where they will discuss ways to cut CO2 footprint from their industries.

 

The two-day CarbonZero Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials Global Conference and Exhibition 2022 will be held at Pestana Palace Hotel and National Monument Lisbon.

 

As part of the event, the organisers have partnered with Zero - Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System, for a programme focused on  the decarbonisation of the cement and concrete industry.

 

The event will see C+ executives and key stake holders from the innovation, research and development, and environmental professions find solutions for cutting the CO2 footprint from the cement and construction industries.

 

Portugal’s cement industry has been calculating its net CO2 emissions to become an entirely carbon-neutral sector. The cement and construction industries are among the highest CO2 emissions generators in the world, said the organisers.

 

According to them, the cement industry alone accounts for 8 per cent of global emissions, not far behind the agriculture industry with 12 per cent.

 

In 2021, the cement industries were in the top 10 CO2 generators in Portugal. 8.7 million tons of CO2 were found to be associated with mortars and concretes made with Portuguese cement from 2011- 2021.

 

Zero is a non-profit national association that carries out its activity with complete independence from political parties, companies and for-profit entities, denominational associations and the government. The association was founded in 2015 out of the common interest of about a hundred people to achieve sustainable development in Portugal.

 

Zero's intervention is based on solid ideas and a permanent dialogue with the different key actors to achieve goals such as: Zero fossil fuels, Zero pollution, Zero waste of resources, Zero destruction of ecosystems and biodiversity, and Zero social and economic inequality. Zero is also an association with a vast international influence, it added.

 

Rita Prates, Zero Project Officer, said: “Nowadays, cement production accounts for around 8 per cent of global CO2 emissions. Looking ahead to a Zero emissions future, further technological innovation and investments should be focused on low-carbon cement and alternative materials. Now is the time to make the shift and seize the opportunity to make a difference. In reality, decarbonisation is the key to your success, and it is the key to our shared future.”

 

On the tieup, Beatrice Ene, Managing Director of Industry Link, said: “It is a valuable partnership that will strengthen the drive to achieve Net-Zero emissions in the construction and cement industry."

 

"We welcome Zero and we, together, assume our involvement in finding the best solutions to pressing climate problems,” she added.-TradeArabia News Service