The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are set to launch the Cement Industry Decarbonization Roadmap, an endeavor funded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Canadian government to reduce carbon emissions of cement firms operating in the country.

In an interview, CeMap executive director Ray Baja disclosed that the roadmap, which began in June 2025 and was finalized in May 2026, aims for a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a 50 percent reduction by 2050.

“The Philippines, contributing 7 percent to global GHG emissions from cement, is second in Asia in cement production, with Thailand leading independently. The cement industry globally contributes less than 1 percent to GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions,” he said.

He said the launch and turnover of the roadmap by UNIDO and the Canadian government to the DTI will happen on 29 June.

“The reduction will be in three phases. First is the reduction of the clinker factor. Clinker is the product of the calcination process. When you cook the limestone, the clinker will come out. Clinkers, when added by some additives, form cement. So, the carbon footprint of cement comes from the calcination process or the cooking of the limestone. Carbon emissions are high when limestone is being heated up,” Baja explained.

He said that, aside from clinker, the second source of carbon in the process is the fuel used by cement manufacturing machines.

Baja said that to attain this, the roadmap suggests the use of RDFs (refuse-derived fuels), namely trash and plastics, to prevent the 100 percent use of coal by cement firms in cooking clinkers and additives in producing cement.

“When cement was done with only 75 percent clinker and 25 percent additives, then the finished product is a low-carbon cement. The lower the clinker factor, the lower the carbon footprint. Replacing the use of clinker is through the usage of lower cementitious materials such as pozzolan and fly ash,” he stated.  

With the roadmap, the emission reduction targets will be reviewed and updated every five years to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

However, Baja said achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the country remains impossible, for now.

“First, the technology of CCUF, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage, is very expensive. Some things are just piloted. It's not fully developed yet. It is impossible to store carbon in the Philippines because it's done underground, just like the drilling of oil, and considering that our country has been experiencing a lot of earthquakes," he stressed.

If the roadmap is adopted as scheduled, the Philippines would become the second ASEAN country to implement a formal decarbonization strategy for the cement industry.

To date, the notable cement firms that are producing low-carbon cement include Holcim Philippines, CEMEX Philippines, and the Aboitiz-led Republic Cement.