The country’s cement industry will be presenting to the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the upcoming ASEAN meetings this year its Sustainability Roadmap, aiming to mitigate the ill effects of Climate Change.

“We want to decarbonize the cement industry or push for less carbon emissions. We are working with UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization). The Roadmap is 95 percent done and will probably be finished before the end of next month,” said Reinier Dizon, president of Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines.

“The Roadmap is for the Philippine cement industry alone, and we would love to present this to the ASEAN meet. We are the second in Asia to do this, next to Thailand,” Dizon, also the president of Republic Cement, stressed.

In October 2025, UNIDO, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of the Philippines, through its Bureau of Policy Research and Innovation, announced the launch of the development process for the Philippines Cement Decarbonization Roadmap.

The initiative marks a pivotal step in advancing industrial climate action and sustainable development in the country.

The announcement comes at a crucial moment for the Philippine cement industry, which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years due to major infrastructure programs and a resurgence in private construction.

In 2024, the Philippines’ cement industry produced more than 27 million tons, backed by a robust production capacity of around 53 million tons.

The roadmap is being developed under the UNIDO’s “Decarbonization of the Cement and Concrete Sectors in Thailand” project, funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

The initiative supports net-zero policies, promotes clean technologies, and fosters South-South cooperation to scale practical, regionally tailored decarbonization solutions.

Alternative fuels

Dizon said that in realizing the roadmap, CeMap wants to increase the use of alternative fuels as the main action plan.

“Because in cement production, we use a lot of fuel, typically coal, which is fossil based that emits carbon dioxide. In producing cement, we are using limestone. It is being crushed and cooked in an oven (keel) that goes to 1,450 degrees, and its finished product is called clinker. A ton of limestone, when being cooked, one-third of it evaporates and become Co2,” he demonstrated.

Further, they are also considering to turn single use plastics, among other trash, into fuel that will be used to cook limestone in producing cement, or waste to energy scheme.

“In cement plants, we use filters to control air pollution. We hit two birds with one stone, lessening carbon emissions, at the same time resolving the country’s waste problem,” he said.

However, Dizon said attaining zero carbon emissions is difficult, as even other countries are having a hard time realizing it.

“Our target is until 2050 to attain the net zero carbon emission. It’s a step-by-step process. The roadmap is some sort of commitment by local cement firms. It’s the industry that wants to do it to make the industry more sustainable. This roadmap is also aligned to the New Government Procurement Reform Act and Tatak Pinoy Act, which both have provisions on sustainable procurement,” he said.