Isometric has certified the Low Carbon Cement Protocol, which sets requirements for issuing certificates for low-carbon clinker, cement, and concrete. It is the first protocol that Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) for low-carbon cement can be issued against.
Certification follows a 30-day public consultation with cement and concrete producers, project developers, and buyers. Details of how Isometric addressed their feedback are in the consultation summary.
Low-carbon cement and EACs
Cement production accounts for approximately 8% of global carbon emissions. Since 2015, the sector’s total emissions have increased, and emissions per tonne of cement have stayed flat.
Most of these emissions come from clinker, the binding agent in cement. Clinker is made by heating limestone in a kiln to around 1,450°C. The limestone breaks down and releases carbon dioxide, which accounts for 60% of clinker emissions. The rest comes from the fossil fuels used to heat the kiln.
Several technologies can reduce these emissions, including capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide at the kiln, replacing clinker with alternative binders, and electrifying kilns with renewable power. To scale, they need reliable revenue.
Low-carbon cement is rarely produced near the companies that want to buy it, and shipping it long distances isn’t practical. EACs separate the environmental claim from the physical product, so organizations anywhere can buy certificates and claim them against their climate goals. That revenue goes to the producers decarbonizing one of the world’s hardest-to-abate industries.
The protocol
The protocol is technology-agnostic, so any approach that meets its core requirements can qualify. Certificates can be issued for one tonne of low-carbon clinker or cement, or one cubic meter of low-carbon concrete.
To be eligible, the product must have a verified Environmental Product Declaration and a carbon intensity at or below Band C of the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s Low Carbon Ratings. This tightens to Band B from 2030.
Each project must also publish a catalytic impact narrative explaining how it advances decarbonization across the sector, giving buyers a clear view of what their purchase supports.
Phil De Luna, Co-Founder and CTO of Canadian cement decarbonization company CURA, said: "Low-carbon cement EACs are a brand-new frontier, and markets like this don’t build themselves. They need rigorous, trusted rules of the road. Isometric’s protocol gives project developers a credible path to certify their impact and gives buyers the confidence to invest, which is exactly what this market needs to take off."
The certificates
The protocol is designed to meet the integrity criteria in Version 2.0 of the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard, opening the market to the more than 12,200 companies with SBTi-validated targets. Each certificate also includes the information required by the AIM Platform Standard and TCAT’s Mitigation Action Accounting and Reporting Guidance.
Certificates will be issued through Certify, Isometric’s AI-powered certification platform, and published on the Registry with the data and evidence behind them. The protocol was developed by Isometric’s Science Team in line with the Isometric Standard, with review from the independent Science Network of more than 500 academic experts.
Interested in registering a project or purchasing certificates? Get in touch.
