The ACT methodology for the cement sector is well developed and is currently in the public consultation phase.

If you have some interest in the cement sector, you can comment and contribute to improve the way cement companies will be assessed on their low-carbon transition strategy (before the 28th of March).

Here it is the following public link : https://act-phase-ii.scribehub.com/documents/16

The next phase of this project will be the finalization of the method and then a road-test where 10 to 15 companies will be selected to test the practicality of the method between May and October 2020.

This article follows our news on the project launch below:

Are companies in the cement sector ready for a low-carbon transition?

To answer this question, it is necessary to apply a sectorial methodology that is appropriate to the specificities of the sector, while being workable to other major industry sectors in order to establish equitable efforts for all sectors.

The ACT (Assessing Low Carbon Transition) approach jointly led by the ADEME and the British NGO CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) provides the essential methodological framework. This methodology was launched a few weeks before the opening of COP21, the Paris Climate Change conference. It allows measuring the engagement of companies from different sectors into the reduction of their Greenhouse gases (GHG). An international initiative, the ACT methodology aims to facilitate the reorientation of the strategies of companies and investors to a low-carbon economy. The ACT methodology considers the integration of climate change into corporate strategy, efforts to reduce GHG emissions and the management of these emissions. The degree of alignment of each company results in a score based on three criteria: performance, overall consistency and trend, which it can communicate to its stakeholders. It takes the following form:

In 2017, the first four sectors have been covered: power generation, automobile manufacturing, retail and construction (building, land and property developer). In 2019, the ADEME and the CDP have chosen to launch additional sectors: transport, oil and gas and cement. A common evaluation framework is applied between the different studied sectors, adapting it to the specificity of each sector. To this, the stakeholders of the sector are invited to join the Technical Working Group, in order to contribute to the development of the sectorial method, as the stakeholders have, for several years, developed research programs and experimentations to reduce their GHG emissions (mainly CO2 due to energy uses and decarbonation).

The cement industry is the third largest consumer of industrial energy and the second largest industrial carbon emitter with 7% of the world’s GHG emissions. As the world’s population grows, the need for buildings and infrastructure also increases. As a result, the cement industry needs to be fully compatible with the commitment made at COP21 in Paris, and it is essential to detect whether a major change in usual practices is needed to align with a 2-degree trajectory.

Solinnen, through its knowledge of the cement sector and its stakeholders, has the role of facilitator of the various meetings of the steering committee and is involved in the drafting and the development of the method, alongside the CDP and ADEME. More specifically, Solinnen will be involved, among other things, in defining the method’s application scope, defining representatives indicators to assess the low-carbon emission strategies of cement companies and finally, defining the weightings for each indicator for calculating a company’s performance score.

Solinnen is pleased that the ADEME and the CDP have entrusted it with this ACT cement mission which motivates the whole team to continue its action in the construction sector!