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10 Successful industrial transformation: Prerequisites and boundary conditions Lowering the clinker factor Over the next few years, it will be essential to make further advances with regard to the efficient use of clinker in cement and concrete. Lowering the clinker factor in concrete will bring a fundamental shift in focus and requires a whole-of-supply-chain approach. There are different ways to deliver the required outcome and there will be no “hard lines” between the pathways, in particular between the use of SCMs in cement and concrete respectively. New regulatory frameworks to reduce the clinker factor across the supply chain The existing regulatory frameworks, which include standards and work methods that interact across the supply chain, should be updated. Barriers to lower the clinker factor should be addressed such as cement and concrete standards. Standardisation of regulations to accelerate the transition process Feedback from the supply chain clearly highlights the need to make regulations more coherent across the country avoiding multiple interpretations and implementations of regulatory frameworks across multiple jurisdictions such as specifications of road authorities or waste to energy regulations.
Transition from product push to market pull It is obvious that merely producing clinker-efficient cements and concretes is not enough. It is essential to put them to practical use as well. Therefore, close cooperation and ongoing exchange of knowledge along the entire value chain of cement and concrete is crucial, including cement and concrete customers, developers, designers, building material procurers, architects, standards authorities, government and non-government agencies, and concrete and cement manufacturers. Overall, this cooperation will bring more significance to be attached to the topic of CO2 in construction work. Public investment provides a major part of infrastructure spending, and since state regulator´s standards will continue to determine how the majority of concrete is produced, the supply chain is expecting governments and regulators to take leadership in procurement processes with a strong focus on embodied carbon and subsequently clinker factor in concrete constructions. Context for approaching the different pathways This report provides the basis for comprehensive engagement plans for the Australian cement and concrete sector to decarbonise by 2050. Some pathways within this report can be implemented quickly, since the technologies are
Implementing the pathways Engagement plans for the different pathways should be framed with the relevant horizons which will be useful in gaining early success and developing new technology for its commercial use.
