Türkçimento Gives Full Support to Green Cement Use

Addressing the Presidency of the High Engineering Board at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Fatih Yücelik expressed gratitude for the "Announcement on Promoting the Use of Green Cement," which was meticulously developed over more than two years and published in the Official Gazette on 16 March 2024. He noted that with this Announcement, the clinker/cement ratio will be limited to 0.80 for the 2025-2029 period and 0.75 from 2030 onwards in public construction projects and cement-containing material procurement tenders.

Making a statement regarding the Announcement on Promoting the Use of Green Cement, TÜRKÇIMENTO Board Chairman Fatih Yücelik said, "We are pleased to participate as a sector in all projects that will contribute to our Presidency's '2053 Net Zero Emissions' target. We believe that the goal of reducing clinker usage in cement production is a highly important project that will serve the public interest."

Fatih Yücelik elaborated his views on the matter as follows:
"By this means, approximately 11 million tons of CO2 reduction and 1.3 million tons of imported petcoke savings will be achieved in a decade, providing environmental benefits equivalent to approximately 500 million trees. However, we believe that certain points must receive particular attention for the project to achieve its intended success.

First and foremost, it should be understood that the inspection mechanism is of great importance for the successful implementation of the limitations set forth in the Announcement and for ensuring that the targeted environmental benefits are fully delivered. Raising awareness about the implementation principles of the Announcement and establishing transparent inspection mechanisms will play a key role in bringing this project to fruition.

On the other hand, the environmental benefits provided by the use of green cement types must continue to deliver technical performance equivalent to traditional Portland cement. For this reason, we believe that increasing the sector's access to alternative raw materials such as fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag will present an important solution strategy in achieving these targets."

Yücelik noted that when examining similar project examples conducted worldwide, India stands out with a clinker/cement ratio of 0.64, stating, "India has achieved the success of rapidly producing with a low clinker/cement ratio worldwide. This is due to the legal regulations it has implemented to promote the widespread use of fly ash in the cement sector, thereby both enabling the reuse of thermal power plant waste and encouraging the use of green cement."

Fatih Yücelik continued as follows:

"Another significant factor in the success of the project is the need to update the cement and concrete standards that have been in use in our country for many years to comply with this new approach, and to conduct field inspections in accordance with the new standards.

In conclusion, while implementing the promotion of green cement use in the public sector through this Announcement, we believe that it is necessary to emphasize the urgent establishment of the inspection mechanism, the implementation of incentives to facilitate access to alternative raw materials, and the updating of relevant standards to ensure that the targeted environmental benefits are fully delivered."

Fatih Yücelik also emphasized the importance of the private sector acting in line with this Announcement and producers informing consumers regarding the supply of cement to the private sector, stating, "We as producers will also fulfill our responsibility in this regard so that the targeted CO2 reduction can be increased exponentially," thus underlining the shared responsibilities.

In this context, Fatih Yücelik, expressing gratitude to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for taking a leading role in the preparation of the "Announcement on Promoting the Use of Green Cement," which entered into force on 1 January 2025, stated that the sector is pleased to support emissions-reducing projects for the public interest, and expressed his wishes for the continuation and expansion of legal work in this area and for the successful continuation of public-private sector cooperation.