2020 was a milestone year for the concrete and cement industry with the launch of the GCCA’s Climate Ambition – announcing the industry’s commitment to providing the world with carbon-neutral concrete by 2050. As such, this year’s conference, which is being staged online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will focus on building the sustainable world of tomorrow.
The GCCA Conference 2020 will hear from leaders from the cement and concrete industry as well as from other industries and key stakeholders, which will provide important reflection on how the industry can achieve its aims. The GCCA will also be sharing wider updates from across the year on its work program.
The Day 1 conference plenary session was taking place under the heading ‘Industry and Business Action – Towards Building the Sustainable World of Tomorrow. Keynote speaker is Pratima Rangarajan, chief executive, OGCI Climate Investments. Rangarajan’s speech will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Jan Jenisch, CEO of LafargeHolcim; Sanda Ojiambo, executive director, UN Global Compact; Daniel Balthasar, senior portfolio manager and head of Basic Industries & Utilities, Norges; and Mahendra Singh, managing director and CEO of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited.
The Day 2 conference plenary session will be staged under the heading ‘Industry Transition: Global Policy Perspectives – Towards Building the Sustainable World of Tomorrow. Dr Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, is the keynote speaker. A panel discussion following his speech will include further insight from Dr Birol, who will be joined by Araceli Fernandez Pales, IEA senior energy analyst; Dr Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board at HeidelbergCement; Maria Mediluce, CEO of WeMeanBusiness; and Gerard Bos, director of the IUCN Global Business and Biodiversity Programme.
Launched in January 2018, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) is dedicated to developing and strengthening the sector’s contribution to sustainable construction. The GCCA aims to foster innovation throughout the construction value chain in collaboration with industry associations as well as architects, engineers, and innovators. In this way, the association demonstrates how concrete solutions can meet global construction challenges and sustainable development goals while showcasing responsible industrial leadership in the manufacture and use of cement and concrete. The GCCA is headquartered in London, England. It complements and supports the work done by associations at the national and regional levels.
