İlker Koç / Akçansa Ready Mixed Concrete, Aggregate Sales and Marketing Deputy General Manager
Ümit Çetin / Akçansa Cement Sales, Marketing and Business Development Deputy General Manager
With its ‘Green For Cement’ and ‘Green For Concrete’ sustainable product movement, Akçansa is bringing a new dimension to sustainability. Initiating a new venture in the fight against climate change, Akçansa is developing new products with low clinker content and low carbon emissions by utilizing alternative raw materials. The company is making steady progress towards cement and concrete production with a lower CO² footprint.
Akçansa brings in a new dimension to sustainability journey with its recently launched ‘Green For Cement’ and ‘Green For Concrete’ sustainable product movement. Can you tell us about the details of these two approaches?
Ümit Çetin: Within the scope of combating climate change, we have launched an major initiative in order to develop new products with low clinker and low carbon through use of alternative raw materials. We carried out a CO² Roadmap Product Plan study for our cement products. In accordance with this plan, we determined the product requirements of each factory according to the existing product portfolio and target market demands and realized the planning for the development of new alternative product. We conducted laboratory-scale R&D studies for new specialty alternative products (low clinker / low carbon). Pilot production testing for the new products that have a high potential, carried out on an industrial scale also yielded successful results. We released our latest low-clinker products to the market in 2023 upon completion of our fly ash feeding investments in our Çanakkale and Büyükçekmece plants.
İlker Koç: On the ready-mixed concrete side, our main goal is to lead the industry by developing low-carbon and high-performance products. With the actions we have taken, we have realized concrete production with a lower CO² footprint by utilizing materials such as ground blast furnace slag, fly ash, and cements with mineral additives in concrete.
Climate change is among the most important items on the agenda of the cement industry. What aspect does the new initiative you launched as a company cover? What kind of measures will you take against climate change through this initiative?
Ümit Çetin– İlker Koç: Cementproductionisanenergy-intensiveprocess and relies heavily on the combustion of fossil fuels. On the other hand, the chemical reactions that occur during production also generate CO² emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), cement production accounts for about 7 percent of global CO² emissions. On the other hand there is a widespread demand for cement on the global scale. Cement consumption is expected to rise, thus increasing the carbon footprint of the sector in the coming period as urbanization and infrastructure development continues in different countries. However, with the increasing sensitivity on climate, governments across the world are enforcing stricter environmental regulations to combat climate change. Cement producers could face increased compliance costs and potential financial risks if they cannot manage to address carbon emissions proactively. Consumers and investors are demanding sustainable products and environmentally sound practices increasingly as awareness of climate change grows. Reputation and finances may become at risk in the long run for cement companies that fail to adopt greener production methods. In summary, climate change, as one of the most significant items on the global agenda due to the greenhouse gas emissions caused by production processes and the effects it causes on overall environmental sustainability, has also become a point that the sector focuses on. The construction industry can make significant progress in minimizing its environmental impact and shifting towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient future by encouraging the adoption of products with lower clinker rates. This shift is also very important for addressing climate change and ensuring utilization of natural resources in construction and infrastructure in a responsible manner. Our Sustainable Product Movement features more sustainable, more environmentally friendly and lower emission cement and ready-mixed concrete products. We minimize emissions, make it possible for the construction industry to access more resilient and greener products, and contribute to the circular economy and preservation of natural resources by utilizing alternative raw materials through these new products. We believe that we have taken a major step towards the green transformation of the sector with this pioneering movement.
Which features stand out in the products that will be released to the market with your new product movement?
Ümit Çetin: Having been developed by Akçansa according to our sustainability goals and in line with the expectations of our customers, ‘Green For Cement’ products stand out as environmentally friendly cement products with superior performance designed for more sustainable and high quality buildings. Our ‘Actioncem’ with low-carbon content, ‘Solidcem’ that is resistant against environmental factors and ‘Duocem’ with high strength and durability features are included in the “Green For Cement” product category as sustainable cement products.
Duocem’s carbon footprint is 10 percent less than Portland cement thanks to the mineral admixture ratio of up to 20 percent in its content. Duocem can be addressed as both a building-friendly product and an environmentally friendly cement that supports reduction of greenhouse gases with this feature. Duocem is a product that contributes to sustainability with its features such as stable performance, high fineness (gap filling effect), better workability and high viscosity retention performance, as well as strength and durability performance ratings equivalent to Portland cement (CEM I 42.5 R), low hydration temperature (particularly for mass concrete and applications in hot weather).
As another product launched by us, Solidcem contains 21-35 percent mineral admixtures. It stands out with its climate and environmentally friendly structure as 15 percent less greenhouse gas is emitted in its production. It has high resistance against harmful environmental effects, especially sulfate environments. It provides convenience to the implementers with its superior features such as ease of workability and development of long term strength. Solidcem is an environmentally and climate friendly product with high fineness rate, being ideal for ground reinforcement (injection) applications, non-foaming at the time of injection, resistant to sulfate, capable to withstand alkali- silica reactions, featuring adequate setting time, having lower heat of hydration and therefore posing low risk of thermal cracking.
ActionCem contains 35-50 percent mineral admixtures. It contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with its low clinker ratio and low carbon footprint. It has high resistance against harmful environmental effects, especially sulfate environments. It provides convenience to the implementers with its superior features such as ease of workability and development of long term strength. ActionCem is positioned as a sustainable, climate and environmentally friendly product featuring all these properties.
İlker Koç: With our new product movement, focus on sustainability, high performance and reliability features are standing out in respect of the products we release to the market. We are taking major steps in terms of sustainability to minimize the environmental impact. We use less cement and prefer alternative binders compared to traditional concrete production methods in order to minimize our carbon footprint.
While focusing on sustainability, we do not compromise on the durability and performance of our products. Our new generation products perform at a level equal or superior to traditional concretes with respect to strength and durability. We register the sustainability of our products with the certificates we obtain from independent certification bodies. Thus, we create a reliable option for our customers that they are using materials that meet their environmental goals in their projects.
We can list the prominent features of our sustainable ready-mixed concrete products under the title Green For Concrete as follows: Ecocrete stands out as our new generation standard ready-mixed concrete product that targets a low CO² footprint and meets all customer expectations with its quality goals. We aim to save at least 15 per cent CO² footprint with its structure in which mineral-added (low clinker / low carbon) cements such as CEM II, CEM III, CEM IV and mineral additives such as fly ash, ground blast furnace slag, micro silica are used instead of CEM I type cements.
A+Concrete is our high durability, long-lasting and sustainable concrete product designed for all load-bearing structural elements. It can be used in all structural elements exposed to harsh environmental impacts, especially in mass concretes with high hydration temperature, and in green building projects.
100+Concrete is our specialty concrete product produced by using low-alkali proprietary cement and mineral admixtures and developed for projects with a service life requirement of 100 years or more. It features 100 years of durability suitable for structures with service life requirement of 100 years. While it does not allow detrimental chlorine ions from the sea to penetrate the reinforcement, its hydration temperature can be controlled and it can be pumped to the desired head. Nevertheless, all components are retrospectively traceable and testable. It offers an optimal and sustainable solution for Mega Projects with all these features.
Apart from these, our synthetic fiber-reinforced product Performix, our waterproof product Hidromix, our sulfate-resistant product Solidmix and our Yolbeton products developed for road pavements are the other members of our Green For Concrete product family standing out with both performance and sustainability properties.
What is the importance of low-carbon products in the cement industry? What kind of environmental impacts do these products have?
Ümit Çetin – İlker Koç: Clinker production requires limestone and other raw materials to be processed at very high temperatures that cause CO² emissions. The most carbon-intensive step in cement production is clinker production. The overall carbon emissions associated with construction projects can be reduced significantly through use of cement with less clinker content. Products that contain lower rates of clinker contribute to reduction of the carbon footprint and environmental impact associated with cement production. Reduction of the clinker content in cement is also congruent with global efforts to minimize the negative impacts of climate change. We can reduce the environmental impact of construction activities and contribute to achieving carbon reduction goals by using low clinker cement. It is possible to promote sustainable resource management through minimization of the clinker content and reduction of the demand for natural resources such as limestone and clay. Certain low-clinker cements contain industrial byproducts or additional cementitious substances such as fly ash, slag or pozzolans. These materials are often waste products generated by other fields of industry. We can minimize landfill burden and contribute to the circular economy by incorporating them into cement production. Although low clinker cements may have a higher initial cost in certain cases, they can yield cost savings in the long run. These savings can be derived from reduced energy consumption, compliance with environmental regulations and improved reputation and market position. Use of low clinker cement makes it possible for the construction projects to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and environmentally sound practices. This can be beneficial in satisfying the requirements of green building certifications and the expectations of environmentally conscious customers. Promoting the use of low clinker products encourages research and development in the cement industry. The trend of new production processes and technologies that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly rises. Integration of climate-friendly practices into the cement industry can provide a positive contribution to social and environmental well-being by minimizing emissions, preserving natural resources and minimizing environmental impacts in accordance with sustainable development goals. Additionally, cement companies that adopt sustainable practices in a proactive manner can manage to improve their competitiveness, minimize operational risks and contribute to a more sustainable future for the planet. We believe that the cement industry should be an integral part of global efforts to combat climate change.
What kind of feedbacks do your customers provide in terms of both the concrete and cement?
Ümit Çetin: The number of environmentally friendly exemplary practices in our sector within the scope of combating climate change is on an increasing trend. Many Green Building projects have been realized in our country especially in recent years. It is considered that these projects will increasingly continue in the coming years. This trend in the sector
makes it inevitable that products causing less carbon footprint will be preferred across the world and in our country. As Akçansa, we aimed to bring out new solutions by focusing on the needs of our sector with our sustainable products. We are enjoying the pride of reaching high customer satisfaction with our new products we have launched to the market. I would like to state that our customers are highly satisfied to be a part of this environmentally friendly and nature friendly shify pioneered by Akçansa in addition to product performance. As the leading company in our sector, we continue to create added value for our business partners with our environmentally friendly and sustainable products.
İlker Koç: We are happy to receive positive feedback from our customers. We see that the steps we have taken in line with our 2030 sustainability goals are appreciated by our customers through new projects in which we are involved as a solution partner. We are proud to be the supplier of products in Mega Projects such as Yavuz Sultan Selim and 1915 Çanakkale Bridges.
What kind of actions will you take in the coming period within the scope of the sustainable product movement as Akçansa?
Ümit Çetin – İlker Koç: We are aiming to reduce the carbon emissions of our cement products sold domestically by 20 percent and to increase the sales volume ratio of new products to be developed for this purpose and existing low clinker products by at least 100 percent by 2030. The performance of reference (existing) products and new products (with reduced clinker content) will be equivalent while realizing these goals taking into account customer needs and requirements. We have taken optimization without compromising the basic performance parameters of production and quality as our reference point while offering a sustainable alternative to every existing product.
We are studying all existing and emerging sustainable technologies and developing projects across the world in order to achieve these goals.
What are your future goals?
Ümit Çetin – İlker Koç: Our priority in our future goals is to reduce our carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2030. For this purpose, we aimed to reduce the clinker ratio by substituting clinker with alternative raw materials such as industrial pozzolans (fly ash, blast furnace slag, etc.), mineral admixtures, calcined clay, and on the other hand, to minimize emissions caused by combustion through use of alternative fuels instead of fossil fuels.
And we are studying carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies, developing projects on the recycling of Construction Demolition Wastes within the scope of the circular economy and studying the use of hydrogen and oxygen as alternative fuels in the long run in line with our 2050 net zero emission goals. Additionally, we follow, prioritize and plan the implementation of existing and advancing technologies.
