Cement production
Building a decarbonisation roadmap for a cement producer facing CBAM
This is an illustrative scenario describing a hypothetical company archetype, built to demonstrate decarbonisation planning and CBAM mechanics for cement. It does not describe an actual Prakrti client, and no outcome shown was measured or delivered — figures are modelled projections only.
The scenario
A single-kiln cement producer in Gujarat has begun exporting clinker to an EU buyer and, separately, its board has set an informal net-zero ambition with no underlying pathway. Process emissions from clinker calcination make up the majority of the plant's footprint — a structural feature of cement production that energy efficiency alone cannot resolve. The producer needs both a CBAM-ready emissions figure for its EU shipments and a credible reduction roadmap for its board.
Approach we would model
- Build a verified Scope 1 and 2 baseline separating process emissions (calcination) from combustion emissions (kiln fuel), since CBAM's calculation methodology for cement and any future SBTi-aligned target both depend on that split being explicit.
- Map the CBAM-covered clinker shipments against the cement product scope and the 50 tonne per year importer threshold, and prepare installation-level data in the EU's communication template for the buyer.
- Sequence decarbonisation interventions into three tiers: near-term operational (kiln optimisation, waste heat recovery), medium-term energy substitution (alternative fuels, renewable power procurement), and longer-term process change (clinker substitution ratio, carbon capture where viable) — because process emissions specifically require the third tier, not the first two alone.
- Cost each intervention at an order-of-magnitude level so the roadmap can be presented to the board and, separately, referenced in a future SBTi-aligned target rather than left as a stated ambition with no plan behind it.
Projected outcome
Projected / modelled — not a delivered result
Modelled outcome, not an achieved result: for a single-kiln plant of this profile, near-term operational and energy-substitution measures are typically projected to address a meaningful minority of total emissions, with the majority remaining tied to process emissions that require the longer-term tier. This is a general pattern for cement decarbonisation pathways, not a measured reduction from a completed project — no interventions described here have been implemented or verified.
Facing a similar situation for real?
This scenario is hypothetical, but the mechanics — thresholds, calculation methods, disclosure formats — are real. Tell us your sector and export markets and we will map what actually applies to you.
Talk to us →