New insights: calcined clay tackling carbon embodied in construction

This material has the potential to be a critical component in achieving fast emission reductions in this sector and comes with clear benefits:

• Cost reductions: Replacing clinker with limestone calcined clay reduces energy costs by over 33% compared to ordinary Portland Cement and reduces CO₂ emissions by a minimum of 40%  
• Commercially proven: Infrastructure projects worldwide — including Colombia, Switzerland and Brazil — already use calcined clay cement, demonstrating proven performance and scalability. It is also already embedded in international cement standards 
• Widely available: Compared to other Supplementary Cementitious Materials such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag and fly ash, calcined clay is more abundant and less subject to declining availability or rising costs 
• High performance: Calcined clay-based cement mixtures offer similar strength and durability to alternatives and are suitable for use in harsh environments
• A drop-in solution: It is compatible with traditional clinker and suitable for processing in existing clinker kilns – allowing efficient use of current assets and making it a future aligned investment

Briefing paper highlighting the commercial opportunity found in replacing clinker with limestone calcined clay in cement production.

Read | Calcined clay briefing