Frequently Asked Questions

 About ACT

What is ACT?

  • ACT is a new scalable, low-carbon cement technology that reduces CO2 emissions by up to 70% compared to conventional cement, while maintaining the necessary strength, durability, and workability in any concrete it’s used to manufacture. It achieves this by cutting clinker content by 70% and replacing it with abundantly available fillers like limestone and local supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), optimised for greater efficiency. Essentially, ACT does more with less.

  • ACT uses raw materials approved by cement and concrete standards. It is highly scalable, deployable in all concrete applications before 2030, and can be produced at existing cement plants without significant investment or modifications.

  • Developed over a decade, ACT has undergone extensive validation and industrial trials. Ecocem plans to commercially launch it in 2026, starting in France.

You say ACT can reduce emissions by 70%. Can this figure be quantified?

  • ACT technology is the result of over a decade of research by Ecocem to create a sustainable, low-carbon, cost-competitive, easy-to-produce, global, and scalable cement solution. While specific technical details remain confidential, we can confirm that ACT enables the production of mass market cements using just 20-30% clinker – compared to 70–80% in conventional cements – replacing it with abundantly available fillers and local supplementary cementitious materials.

  • No other scalable low-carbon cement developed to date has achieved this level of clinker reduction while maintaining the essential properties of concrete: workability, strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness.

Will ACT be able to work without major cost or logistical disruption to existing plants?

  • Yes, ACT offers the great advantage of not being disruptive to existing operations. The technology does not require major changes to current cement and concrete production processes and enables the use of standard practices and equipment. It can be produced in the vast majority of cement plants with limited need for additional capex and industrial transformation, utilising most of the existing assets together with local raw materials.

Why is Ecocem introducing ACT now and why has this not been done before?

  • The cement industry is not currently on track to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target by 2030, but ACT can deliver up to 50% CO2 reduction rapidly and at scale by then, if widely adopted. This breakthrough is possible now because, after over a decade of research, ACT has successfully reduced clinker content by up to 70% using abundant local materials and additives, overcoming previous scalability challenges.

  • In February 2024, ACT received a European Technical Assessment (ETA), paving the way for full commercialisation by 2026 and enabling the global cement industry to decarbonise on a Paris-compliant trajectory without major operational changes or excessive costs.

Cost, Production and Performance

How does concrete made with ACT perform compared to standard concrete, and how does its cost compare to other products on the market?

  • ACT technology has undergone extensive technical validation and industrial trials, using materials already approved by cement and concrete standards with specific chemical additives for improved rheology and activation. It delivers all essential performance characteristics – durability, workability, and strength – while being cost-competitive and scalable.

  • Cost comparisons show ACT is highly competitive against average cement (70–80% clinker), and as carbon credits phase out, its cost advantage will increase, offering greater profitability for cement producers using ACT.

  • Overall, ACT’s production costs excluding CO2, are expected to be roughly the same as current average cement.

Will Ecocem produce ACT in each of its plants?

  • To accelerate ACT’s delivery, Ecocem is scaling up activity at established production facilities in the Netherlands, Ireland, and in France, where it is building a new mill to grind limestone at its Dunkirk plant in partnership with CB Green. A deal announced earlier in 2024 with OBM in Moerdijk, will increase our silo and storage capacity.
  • Ecocem is partnering with key organisations in the cement and construction industry, including Groupe CB, Point P and Cemex France, to trial and develop the technology and ensure a continuous supply of materials. 

Has ACT been used on projects and job sites? If so, can you tell us which sites and what the results have been?

How do I get involved in trials/projects and demonstrations?

  • Please contact your local market representative and they will be happy to help.

Europe’s blast furnaces are closing and GGBS availability is known to decrease in the near future. Does that not mean this won’t work?

  • ACT can be made with a variety of SCMs and won’t rely solely on GGBS. While the first market-ready ACT cement will likely use GGBS and limestone fillers, we are developing versions using other materials like next-generation steel slags (BOF REF, EAF slags) and calcined clays. ACT is an ongoing innovation process expanding material options, including steel slags.

  • Although steelmaking is shifting in parts of Europe, globally there will be substantial slag availability for at least the next decade, along with plenty of other SCMs and emerging new ones (e.g., slags from future direct-reduction iron plants).

  • ACT optimises and maximises SCM performance, using less material to achieve the same results.

ACT and Carbon Capture

What about Carbon Capture – is this not the answer?

  • Ecocem advocates that the range of solutions we deploy as an industry must include low-carbon cements, which can accelerate our emissions reductions before 2030 and in the medium to long term contribute to the success and cost effectiveness of Carbon Capture by reducing the volumes of CO2 which will need to be captured when it comes on stream, which is unlikely to be before 2035.

  • Instead of being the beginning of the solution, CCUS should be the end of the solution, mopping up any remaining CO2 after other “front of pipe” solutions have been maximised.

What happens if the industry ignores this opportunity?

  • As a cost competitive, operationally complementary low-carbon product, it is highly likely the construction industry will be interested in implementing ACT. Indeed, we have had many highly positive conversations to that effect. We know from other industries such as energy for example, that multiple strategies will deliver the best chance of success. Ecocem is committed to refining and developing ACT as a major alternative for carbon reduction for the sector and we believe that others will come on board with us.
  • Ecocem has developed specific licensing contracts and is ready to share and deploy the technology throughout the cement industry on a non-discriminatory basis. 

European Technical Assessment (ETA)

What is the ETA and why does it matter?

  • This sounds dry but it’s important. A European Technical Assessment (ETA) provides an independent Europe-wide procedure for assessing the essential performance characteristics of non-standard construction products.

  • The ETA offers manufacturers a voluntary route to CE marking, when the product is not or not fully covered by a harmonised standard (hEN) under the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011.

  • This accreditation proves the safety and performance of the relevant product.

  • Obtaining the ETA is a significant step in confirming the technical relevance and excellence of what Ecocem has achieved with ACT – a safe, high performing, scalable, low-carbon, energy efficient alternative to traditional cement.

What does this mean for the industry?

  • To accelerate industry decarbonisation in line with a 1.5C trajectory the cement industry desperately needs new solutions. We are happy to share our technology via licencing agreements and if others develop low-carbon solutions, then so much the better for our planet. We welcome enquiries.
  • The ETA provides Ecocem with a route to full commercialisation for its ACT technology by 2026. To accelerate ACT’s delivery, Ecocem is scaling up activity at established production facilities in the Netherlands, Ireland, and France, where it is building a new mill to grind limestone at its Dunkirk plant in partnership with CB Green. In the US, the company is in the later stages of permitting for the construction of a plant on the West Coast.
  • We are already partnering with key organisations in the cement and construction industry, including Saint Gobain, Point P, Vinci, Bouygues, Groupe CB and Cemex France, to trial and develop the technology and ensure a continuous supply of materials. 

OBM Announcement

Why have you done this now?

  • We have made great progress with the development of ACT, our low-carbon cement technology. In the last 12 months we’ve gone from lab to live projects and industrial trials, and with the award of an ETA (European Technical Assessment) which has independently verified the performance of the ACT technologies, there are no barriers to market wide introduction.
  • This deal means to expand production and storage capacity in The Netherlands is part of Ecocem’s plans to accelerate bringing its ACT technology to market as a commercially available solution in 2026.
  • The expansion of Ecocem’s capacity at Moerdijk will enable Ecocem to both produce and store ACT. This new site will enhance the capacity of the plant in The Netherlands and quadruple the storage capacity for key materials up to 40t.