Do we really need cement?

Our industry, along with so many others, has decidedly entered the green transition phase. We have challenging targets and we are working hard to reach them. We should be held to the highest sustainability standards, and in the Nordic markets we are.

During the summer, a potential risk to the supply of concrete in Sweden became apparent. The main producer of cement did not get approval for continued mining of limestone at their main Swedish quarry. In brief, the reason was that the analysis of the impact on groundwater was considered inadequate by the environmental court of appeal. We now know that the supreme court of appeal will not see the case.

A stop at this production facility would bring most of the construction and mining in Sweden to a grinding halt, with almost unfathomable repercussions on society in the short to medium term. Faced with that, the government brought forward a short-term solution until next summer, but a long-term solution is still far away.

But do we really need cement? Can we replace it? The simple answer is yes, we need it. But over time we can and will be able to reduce the dependence on cement in NCC and along the construction value chain. That process is already started. Re-using concrete, rethinking design, replacing cement with other material. Ensure cement produced with better environmental properties. However, there are few shortcuts. What we build is supposed to last for generations. Concrete has a role to play during the foreseeable future.

For some, it seems to be a surprise that Sweden, along with other countries, depend on large single production facilities. But there are good reasons for cement production to be located at few places. It makes logistical, financial and environmental sense. Each producer must of course live up to very high environmental standards.

At NCC this is now a priority activity. We are working together with our industry organization, Byggf?retagen and with our suppliers to analyze, prepare for and mitigate various scenarios and avoid this situation.

The current cement issue has put a spotlight on the lack of systemic planning. Somehow, society needs to be able to deal with and manage the conflicting objectives that we have and take a holistic view. This is essential for society, and even more so now to allow for the huge investments needed to support the green transition.

I am very positive about the opportunities to make a green transition and to substantially improve our industry’s footprint while still providing all the benefits of construction – to support our customers in living up to their commitments and maintain and develop our built world. This is an important moment where the right decisions need to be taken.

We need a discussion among politicians and in society that is guided by insight, expertise and an interest to understand the complexity of the construction process in all its details. We will play our part to get that discussion started. Then I hope we can work together to create policies emanating from an overarching idea and vision instead of a series of separate decisions. ?