Ecocem has accused the Irish cement industry of failing to align its CO2 emissions with the European Union carbon 2050 roadmap. The producer of GGBS (Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag) cement made the comments in a document detailing its response to the Irish government s Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill 2013. The EU carbon roadmap suggests cutting emissions inEuropeby 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

In its document Ecocem also attacked the European Union s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), saying that it provided strong incentives against promoting decarbonisation of the cement sector. It added that a transition to a low-carbon cement and concrete industry could create up to 1200 new jobs within five years.

Ecocem says its product has a carbon footprint of 19kg of CO2 per tonne of cement, compared with about 750 kg of CO2 per tonne it says is produced by the traditional Irish cement sector.