Alongside the CEOs of major cement and concrete manufacturers, the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, has issued a call to action for the industry to work in partnership with governments to reach net zero.

The united rallying call was made by Thomas Guillot, the chief executive of the Global Cement and Concrete Association, with the leaders of GCCA member companies, as they began a major conference in Zurich.

Concrete is the second most-used material on earth after water and the backbone of modern infrastructure and is used to build homes, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and tunnels while also helping to provide clean water and green energy. However, since so much of it being used worldwide, it currently accounts for 7 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

As a result, the world’s leading manufacturers — all members of the Global Cement and Concrete Association, have pledged to eliminate those emissions by 2050 which is in line with GCCA’s Roadmap for Net Zero Concrete.