NRDC expert Zhao Xilong introducing international practice at the workshop @NRDC  

In China, government procurement accounts for one third of the demand for cement. The government is piloting green building materials procurement in about 100 cities. However, low-carbon cement has not been included in the green procurement category. Concrete, which use cement as one of the key ingredients, is included in the category, but there are no requirements for carbon emissions. 

To advocate for setting carbon emission requirements for cement in green procurement and promote more cities to incorporate carbon criteria in their pilots, NRDC attended a workshop hosted by our partner China Academy of Building Research at the Annual Conference of Concrete and Cement Product Industry in Nanjing on May 31. NRDC cement expert Zhao Xilong introduced international practices for establishing carbon procurement requirements and incentive mechanisms from Europe and the US. The workshop invited experts from the China Concrete and Cement Products Association, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, American Concrete Institute, and pilot cities, including Changzhou, Suzhou, and Nanjing. Policy recommendations proposed by the experts at the workshop include: mandatory carbon indicator requirements in policies, fiscal incentives for low-carbon cement, and incorporating green procurement implementation into the KPIs of relevant government officials.