TÜRKÇİMENTO Provides Full Support For the Use Of Green Cement

Delivering a statement regarding the Communiqué on the Dissemination of Use of Green Cement Use, Fatih Yücelik, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜRKÇİMENTO Board, said: As the cement industry, we are very pleased to be involved in any project contributing to the Presidency's goals of  '2053 Net-Zero Emissions'. We believe that the goal of reducing use of clinker in cement production is also a very critical project in terms of providing public benefit.” 

Yücelik expressed his sincere thanks to the Directorate of High Technics Board of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for the Communiqué on the Dissemination of Use of Green Cement, which required rigorous work for over two years and was published on the Official Gazette on 16 March 2024, and he then noted that this Communiqué would limit the ratio of clinker-to-cement to 0.80 for the period 2025 to 2029, and to 0.75 from 2030 in the public construction works as well as in the procurement of cementitious goods. 

On the matter, Fatih Yücelik said:  
“So, around 11 million tons of CO2 reduction and savings of 1.3 million tons of imported petroleum coke will be achieved in 10 years, providing environmental benefits equivalent to around 500 million trees. However, we believe that special attention should be paid to some matters in order for the project to achieve its targeted success.   

First of all, it should be underlined that control mechanism is of great importance to successfully implement the limitations laid down in the Communiqué and to completely attain the targeted environmental benefits. Increasing awareness of the implementation principles of the Communiqué and setting up transparent control mechanisms will play a key role in the implementation of the project. 

On the other hand, the environmental benefits provided by using types of green cement should continue to offer a technical performance equivalent to conventional Portland cement. Therefore, if the sector's access to alternative raw materials such as fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag is improved, then this would provide a significant solution strategy for achieving those goals.”

Yücelik mentioned the examples of similar projects being implemented and drew attention to the striking example of India that applies a ratio of clinker-to-cement of 0.64. He also said: “India has quickly achieved the success of manufacturing with a low ratio of clinker-to-cement in the world. It owes this success to the legislative regulations enforced to disseminate the use of fly ash in the cement industry, thereby enabling the reuse of the waste generated by the thermal power plants and incentivizing the use of green cement.” 

Fatih Yücelik added the following:  
“Another factor that has an important impact on the success of the project is that the cement and concrete standards that have been in use in our country for many years should be updated in line with this new approach and site inspections should be conducted based on the new standards.   

As a result, this Communiqué ensures the dissemination of use of green cement in the public sector, on the other hand, we think that a control mechanism should be immediately established in order to completely attain the targeted environmental benefits, incentives should be put in place for easier access to alternative raw materials, and applicable standards should updated.” 

Fatih Yücelik also drew attention to the importance of the private sector acting in accordance with this Communiqué and informing consumers by manufacturers on the supply of cement to the private sector. He underlined the responsibilities of the cement industry: “We, as manufacturers, must fulfill our duties in this regard so that the targeted CO2 reduction can be increased growingly.”

In this context, Fatih Yücelik expressed his thanks to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for undertaking a leadership role in drafting the Communiqué on the Dissemination of Use of Green Cement, which is entered into force from 1 January 2025. He noted that the cement inducts was very pleased to provide support for the emission-reducing projects for achieving public benefit. Finally, he wished that relevant legal studies would be extended and maintained and that cooperation between the public sector and the private sector would be successfully maintained.