Concrete

Limiting the damage

Published

4 years ago

July 15, 2022

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World Environment Day on 5th June was ushered in with a greater gusto in India than ever before. In keeping with the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Only One Earth,’ the Government of India has also taken substantial steps such as banning single use plastic among others.

Considering the urgency with which the cement sector is moving towards decarbonisation, here are some facts that are propelling cement players to take immediate action:

The steel and cement sectors would see a three-to-four-fold increase in demand and a near tripling of sectoral CO2 emissions by 2050, making the industrial sector the single largest source of CO2 emissions in India, as per an estimate by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
More than half of all CO2 emissions since 1751 have been emitted in the last 30 years, says a study by Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP).
The 20 big companies that contributed to almost 33 per cent of world-historic emissions are from the energy and cement sectors.
The per capita consumption of cement in India is 195 kg, which is far less than the world average of 500 kg and 1000 kg of China, as per Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Decarbonisation of the cement industry cannot be achieved without technology. Using state-of-the-art technology, cement companies should aim at…

Making their processes more energy efficient
Using renewable energy sources
Shifting to alternative fuels
Investing in carbon capture and storage
Utilising other industrial waste as raw material
Exploring alternative cementitious materials
Recycling waste and having circular processes

Technology and R&D are the two tools that will enable the cement sector to harness alternative energy such as solar thermal power, make improvements in the usage of biomass and green hydrogen and increase material circularity.
A significant achievement in India has been the substitution of part of the limestone with by-products from other processes in the form of industrial wastes like slag from steel plants and fly ash from thermal power plants. This blending has greatly contributed to helping the Indian cement industry perform better than global players in terms of specific emissions of CO2 per tonne of cement. Slag Cement can substitute 70-80 per cent of OPC in various grades of concrete mixtures, while it can be used 100% in massive mass concrete projects and other industrial structures. Achieving higher thermal efficiencies helps conserve the use of coal. Equally noteworthy has been the gainful utilisation of industrial, municipal and agricultural wastes and biomass to serve as alternative fuels that replace fossil fuels.
We see a lot of constructive initiatives undertaken by the government, too, in this journey towards decarbonisation. For instance, last year, India and the United Kingdom announced the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI). It is one of the largest and most diverse coalitions of governments and the private sector to create net-zero carbon industrial products. Over the next three years, the governments will work towards decarbonisation of heavy industries, including, of course, cement. While the sentiment is in the right place here, only time will tell if the efforts match up to the expected outcome.

–Pratap Padode, Founder and Editor-in-chief

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UltraTech to Deploy 600+ Electric Trucks by Dec 2026

Cement major expands green logistics to cut emissions across supply chain

Published

5 hours ago

September 3, 2026

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UltraTech Cement Limited, an Aditya Birla Group company, plans to expand its electric vehicle fleet in logistics operations to more than 600 EV trucks by December 2026, strengthening its green transport initiatives.

The company has signed service agreements with leading EV prime mover manufacturers, including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, IPLTech, Energy in Motion and Sany, along with their subsidiaries and logistics partners, for deploying electric trucks.

The expanded fleet will transport around five million MT of clinker and other key materials annually across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha. Once operational, the fleet is expected to reduce annual CO₂ emissions by over 1,17,000 tonnes and replace nearly 39 million litres of diesel consumption.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said the company is extending sustainability beyond its manufacturing plants by adopting greener logistics solutions and decarbonising its value chain.

UltraTech has been among the early adopters of sustainable transport in the cement sector, introducing CNG trucks in 2021 and electric trucks in 2024. The company currently operates more than 850 trucks under its green logistics programme, including CNG and electric vehicles.

With a grey cement capacity exceeding 200 MTPA in India, UltraTech is integrating electrification across its logistics network, covering mine-to-plant movement and inter-plant transportation of clinker and other materials.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement expands green logistics with 600+ electric truck fleet

Published

8 hours ago

September 3, 2026

admin

The e-truck fleet will be used to transport five million MT of clinker and other key materials with potential of over 1,17,000 tonnes of net annual CO₂ reduction, displacing the equivalent of 39 million litres of diesel per year.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited, an Aditya Birla Group company and the world’s largest cement company by sales volume and capacity outside China, has announced that it will scale up its electric vehicle fleet in its logistics operations to 600+ EV trucks by December 2026.

UltraTech has signed service contracts with leading EV prime mover manufacturers including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, IPLTech, Energy in Motion and Sany, along with their subsidiaries and other third-party logistics providers, to deploy EV trucks.

The total fleet of 600+ EV trucks will transport about five million MT of clinker and other key materials per annum across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha. Once fully operational, this fleet of over 600 EV trucks will enable a net annual CO₂ reduction of more than 1,17,000 tonnes, displacing the equivalent of 39 million litres of diesel per year.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “UltraTech is expanding sustainability beyond its plants by adopting greener logistics solutions. This large-scale transition to green logistics underscores our focus on decarbonising every link of our value chain and supports our commitment to achieving Net Zero.”

UltraTech has been a pioneer in advancing sustainable transport in the cement sector, being the first cement company to deploy heavy-duty electric trucks for long-haul transport of clinker and other materials at scale. The company was among the first in India to introduce green logistics, deploying CNG trucks in 2021 and electric trucks in 2024. UltraTech currently operates 850+ trucks as part of its green logistics operations, including CNG and electric trucks.

UltraTech, with a grey cement capacity of over 200 MTPA in India, operates one of the country’s most complex logistics networks. Its electrification strategy covers the entire supply chain—from mine-to-plant movement to inter-plant transport of clinker and other key materials.

The $ 10 billion UltraTech, the cement flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total Grey Cement capacity of 205.5 MTPA and White Cement/Putty capacity of 3.2 MTPA. It is a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the Net Zero Concrete roadmap announced by GCCA.

Concrete

CarbonStrong Raises Rs 125 Million To Scale Low Carbon Cement Tech

To build capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year

Published

6 days ago

August 28, 2026

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CarbonStrong has raised Rs 125 million (125 mn) to scale a low carbon cement technology and build commercial production capacity. The startup was founded in 2022 by Harsh Jain and Vikramaditya Singh and has moved from customer trials to plans for industrial supply. The company said its material replaces up to 50 per cent of cement in concrete while reducing costs and improving durability.

CarbonStrong states the product is around 30 per cent cheaper than cement and compatible with existing concrete plants, reducing the need for new equipment and operational disruption. Trials and paid pilots have been conducted in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai with demonstration projects involving ready-mix firms and precast manufacturers. Compatibility with current workflows forms a central part of the commercial strategy, aiming to ease adoption by builders and contractors.

The funding will support construction of a facility with capacity of up to 100,000 tonnes (100,000 t) a year over the next two years to supply early customers commercially. The firm is also developing materials from steel slag, copper slag and mine tailings to expand its feedstock base, while noting the technical challenge of homogenising different waste streams. Recognition by HCL ClimaForce in 2026 and by the Avaana-Startup India-NITI Aayog AIM Grand Challenge in 2025 has underscored progress.

Industry adoption remains the principal test and will require consistent material performance, supply reliability and competitive economics. CarbonStrong projects the Indian market for cement substitutes could reach Rs 250 billion (250 bn) by 2030 and has set an ambition to produce 10 million tonnes a year by 2035 (10 mn t), a target far above its near term capacity. Moving from pilots to production demands capital, manufacturing discipline and customers willing to specify the material beyond demonstrations. The recent Rs 125 million raise is intended to fund the next phase of scale and to demonstrate that industrial waste can become a dependable input for lower carbon construction.