GeZero

Committed to climate protection. The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, sets out the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 °C – ideally to 1.5 °C – compared to pre-industrial levels. This is both a global aspiration and a shared responsibility, for Germany and for Heidelberg Materials as an international company. Achieving this requires immediate and decisive action. Germany’s Federal Climate Change Act makes this clear, setting a target for the country to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045. Industry, particularly energy- and CO₂-intensive sectors such as the basic materials industry, must play a key role in this transformation. At Heidelberg Materials, we are reducing our carbon footprint in line with the 1.5 °C pathway set out by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The climate protection goals of Heidelberg Materials.

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At Heidelberg Materials, we are committed to continuously reducing our CO₂ emissions following the principle of avoidance before capture. We do this by maximising the use of alternative fuels, particularly biomass, reducing the share of CO₂-intensive clinker in cement by incorporating alternative materials, optimising our product mix and increasing the efficiency of our plants. However, only about one third of emissions from cement production can be reduced through these measures. The remaining two thirds are process-related and stem from the deacidification of limestone and currently unavoidable from a technical perspective. The only viable solution for these emissions – which also occur in other industrial sectors – is to capture the CO₂ for subsequent use or storage. This is known as Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS). There is broad scientific consensus that CCUS is essential for dealing with emissions that are unavoidable or difficult to avoid. They complement the expansion of renewable energies, the circular and hydrogen economy, the increase in energy and resource efficiency and the potential of natural CO₂ sinks.

Germany and the European Union are now laying the political and legal foundations for the rollout of CCUS. Carbon management strategies at both national and European levels will form the basis for this. Crucial decisions will be made in the coming years – particularly around the creation of a CO₂ infrastructure that links all parts of the value chain: capture, transport, utilisation and storage. Success will depend on the active participation of many partners. GeZero and other pioneering industrial projects are already rising to this challenge by driving practical implementation. To enable broader progress, it is essential that policymakers in Germany establish a clear legal framework – providing the regulatory certainty and investment security needed.

Carbon capture is the process of removing CO₂ from large emission sources. The aim of carbon capture is to prevent the release of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere and to either process the captured CO₂ further or store it safely. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to the process of capturing, transporting and storing CO₂ in suitable geological formations.

Heidelberg Materials has already initiated around a dozen CCUS projects worldwide. As a result, some cement plants will be fully decarbonised before 2030 – such as the plants in Edmonton/Canada, Padeswood/UK, Geseke/Germany and Mitchell/USA.

The concept of carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides for the capture of CO₂ emissions resulting from the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and industrial processes. This prevents the carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Instead, it is stored permanently in suitable underground geological formations. 

The production of cement, the "glue" in concrete, is very CO₂-intensive. Around two thirds of direct CO₂ emissions in cement production are generated during the calcination process – the chemical transformation of limestone into cement clinker in the kiln. As this reaction is a fundamental property of limestone, these emissions are technically unavoidable. This is why the cement industry is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide globally. Today, CCS is one of the most effective solutions for preventing these process-related emissions from entering the atmosphere. 

Carbon capture, utilisation or storage (CCUS) is a vital prerequisite for achieving net-zero emissions in our sector – and for enabling the production of net-zero cement products.
 

In addition to our CCS projects aimed at the capture and storage of CO₂, we are also investigating, testing and scaling up a number of promising opportunities for the use of captured CO₂ – in the food industry, for the production of synthetic fuels, in the cultivation of microalgae or for the recarbonation of recycled concrete.

The EU Innovation Fund is an EU instrument to support the transformation of European industry towards climate neutrality. It focuses on highly innovative technologies and flagship projects that enable substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across Europe. Funded projects commit to sharing their insights and taking part in activities that support scaling, accelerate the adoption of breakthrough technologies and drive their commercialisation. The EU Innovation Fund is financed by trading CO₂ certificates within the framework of the EU ETS. More information can be found on the website of the European commission.