Green Facts

30 years ago there was essentially no plastic bag industry, when you went shopping you took your own bag with you, yet today the government is being lobbied by plastic bag manufacturers who threaten job losses if a tax were to be imposed to curtail plastic bag use.

Emission Zero

EmissionZero is a division of Ecocem Materials Ltd (Ecocem). Traditionally focused on the construction industry and reducing Embodied CO2, Ecocem established EmissionZero to reduce the Carbon Footprint of consumers and business in Ireland, enabling them to become Carbon Neutral through investing in Verified Emission Reductions (VERs).

Verified Emission Reductions from Ecocem
After water, concrete is the most used substance in the world. Annually, for every person on earth a cubic meter (approx. 2.4 tonnes) of concrete is poured. Concrete is responsible for 6% of worldwide CO2 emissions – to put this in context, aviation barely reaches 3%. The main culprit in concrete is its most important ingredient: cement. Over 90% of the emissions from concrete come from the manufacture of cement. For every tonne of cement produced, approximately a tonne of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.

Ecocem’s cement is a recycled industrial by-product and its’ carbon footprint weighs in at a tiny 25 kg!!! On top of this, concrete made with Ecocem cement is stronger, better looking and lasts twice as long as ordinary concrete – without adding to the price! In Ireland, Ecocem have had a hugely positive impact on the environment making the single largest reduction in CO2 emissions. To date, over 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions have been avoided by the use of the Ecocem product.

Ecocem’s presence in Ireland is now under threat. Due to incorrect application of the European Emissions Trading Scheme in Ireland, Ecocem are in a position where competitors access to the all important raw materials is subsidised. Ecocem’s only access to subsidies for the purchase of raw materials lies in gaining financial recognition for its role in reducing CO2 emissions in Ireland. Their only option is trading Verified Emission Reductions in the Voluntary Market.

In late 2007 after a long certification process, UN accredited auditors SGS, certified that Ecocem make a real and measurable reduction in CO2 emissions in Ireland. Ecocem can now sell VERs validated and verified to the highest international applicable standard: the Voluntary Carbon Standard. Ecocem need to sell the VERs to ensure continued production of environmentally friendly cement in Ireland and the further development of the company – resulting in further CO2 reductions worldwide. An Ireland without Ecocem would mean an increase in CO2 emissions of around 300,000 tonnes costing the Irish Taxpayer at least €6,000,000 every year!