The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) announced the launch of a new membership category aimed at strengthening collaboration across the building and construction value chain to accelerate the industry’s net zero ambitions.

The association said that decarbonizing cement and concrete, the second most-used material on the planet after water, cannot be achieved without active engagement from the wider building ecosystem and policymakers.

The initiative is called the Net Zero Value Chain Partners (NZVCP), and it aims to extend the GCCA’s reach beyond cement and concrete producers, opening membership to organizations that play a key role in construction and decarbonization efforts. 

Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the GCCA, said: 

“Concrete is seen as the essential material because it is used all across the world in buildings, houses and key infrastructure, underpinning our modern world. It makes great sense to engage more deeply with those who provide our industry equipment, services and solutions for the manufacture and use of our material.”

Eligible partners include equipment suppliers, admixture companies, industrial infrastructure providers for carbon capture, utilization and storage and other solution developers.

By joining, companies will commit to working directly alongside GCCA’s 50 member producers – which represent many of the world’s leading cement and concrete manufacturers – through joint programs, working groups and events to advance innovation and share expertise. 

The first companies to join the NZVCP program are CDE, KHD, Master Builders Solutions, Saint-Gobain, Schneider Electric and Sinoma International. GCCA said these early partnerships demonstrate momentum for deeper collaboration and highlight the importance of industry-wide action to deliver on its net zero mission.