The Cement & Concrete Outlook 2026

Our 2026 Sustainable Cement & Concrete Outlook

For builders, infrastructure developers, or real estate owners, cement and concrete sit squarely in Scope 3 emissions, often dominating corporate carbon footprints and among the toughest to reduce. From January 2026, those embedded emissions will carry a direct price at the EU border under CBAM. The pressure to act is real and rising.

Low-carbon cement is not primarily a technology problem. Proven pathways, from clinker substitution and alternative fuels to CCUS and novel binders, already exist, and pilot plants are demonstrating near-zero carbon concrete.

Demand & finance have to lead. GCCA says CCUS must deliver +30% of the net-zero pathway. No producer has full transition readiness yet. The question is no longer whether to decarbonize, it’s who captures the value as the sector cleans up, and who pays the carbon bill.

What’s missing is the final investment decision, because the green premium still lacks buyers ready to underwrite it at scale. This report maps the 2026 landscape and shows how Carbon3 closes the gap equitably.

Authors: Ilja Nevolin, Paul Cruickshank, Chris Chatterton

GCCA, Global Cement and Concrete Association International Energy Agency (IEA)