Ethiopia , alongside Cambodia, Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda, has officially joined an international coalition backing the widespread adoption of lower-carbon blended cement. The announcement coincides with the high-profile launch of the “Blend Better Cement” campaign during Climate Week NYC, bringing the total number of sovereign nations supporting the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) initiative to twelve.
The newly forged coalition unites governments, industry leaders, and climate organizations behind a common goal: advancing national policies that accelerate the deployment of blended cement. This commercially viable and readily available solution significantly slashes emissions from cement production, which remains one of the heaviest industrial contributors to global carbon pollution.
Blended cements substitute traditional carbon-intensive clinker with alternative materials, known as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). These include calcined clay, limestone fines, and industrial by-products, which effectively reduce environmental impacts while delivering structural strength, durability, and cost-efficiency comparable to ordinary Portland cement.
Under the new commitment, the five participating nations have pledged to deploy vital policy levers, notably by prioritizing blended cement in public procurement frameworks and modernizing national building standards. Because governments represent the world’s largest institutional buyers of concrete, leveraging public purchasing power creates immediate, high-volume market demand. This strategic intervention can secure the rapid scaling of blended materials, capable of cutting emissions by up to 50% per tonne compared to traditional manufacturing processes.
Concrete remains the most widely consumed building material on earth, accounting for roughly 7% to 8% of global carbon emissions. United Nations projections underscore the urgency of these measures, estimating that 75% of all infrastructure that will exist by 2050 has yet to be built. Consequently, the material choices made by governments and developers today will dictate structural carbon emissions for decades to come.
The five new signatories join an established vanguard of nations—including Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, and New Zealand—in endorsing the ICBC’s Call to Action on Blended Lower Carbon Cement and SCMs. Together, these governments are actively harmonizing policy tools to establish the market conditions required for low-emission construction.
As international momentum builds toward COP31—which will be co-hosted by Türkiye, a major cement producer that has successfully capped clinker content at 80% in public projects—attention is increasingly centered on practical decarbonization frameworks. As the designated host of COP32 in 2027, Ethiopia is uniquely positioned to lead regional dialogues and showcase scalable solutions that harmonize rapid infrastructure development with sustainable industrial growth across Africa.
Emphasizing the nation’s steadfast commitment, Dawit Alemu Beshah, Project Manager for the Climate Change Sector Reform Performance Project at the Ethiopian Ministry of Industry, pointed to the broader economic advantages of the transition.
“Ethiopia has no doubts about scaling blended cement,” Beshah stated. “It uses clean energy, strengthens our industry, and makes the most of the raw materials we are blessed with. It’s not just an environmental story, but one about competitiveness and industrialization.”
International partners have similarly lauded the expansion of the coalition. Gulnara Roll, Head of the GlobalABC Secretariat at UNEP, noted that the growing governmental momentum signals vital leadership in sharing expertise and strengthening market policies. Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), emphasized that unlocking the full potential of SCMs requires modernized standards and supportive public procurement frameworks.
Anne DeKeukelaere, Facilitator of the Cement and Concrete Breakthrough Agenda, described scaling blended cements as a critical step toward delivering economic growth and housing without locking in unnecessary upfront emissions. Eveline Speelman, Partner at Systemiq, added that coordinated action between governments and industry bridges the gap between ambition and commercial reality. Furthermore, Jen Carson, Director of Heavy Industry at Climate Group, stressed that clear, consistent demand signals from public and private sectors will give producers the confidence needed to invest at scale on the road to COP31.
