Enabling solutions Book-and-claim and EAC platforms The creation of credible registries to track and retire digital attributes tied to certified low-carbon volumes allows customers and public agencies to “buy impact” even when logistics and distance may prevent physical delivery. Public procurement Buyers can embed embodied-carbon thresholds and EPD-based scoring in infrastructure tenders. Strong public procurement policies send a strong demand signal that can help support FOAK plants. –In the US, federal procurement efforts are waning.95 Some state programmes now institutionalize EPD-based purchasing and, in several cases, binding GWP thresholds.96 97 –In the EU and UK, stronger green public procurement and industrial carbon capture (ICC)/CCS business models are channelling public money towards verifiably low-GWP cement.98Standards and acceptance hubs Regional consortia and open data platforms are proving effective at turning low-carbon mix innovation into standardized, EPD-verified specifications. Conclusion For suppliers, decarbonizing cement is not a chemistry problem – it is a finance problem disguised as one. The technologies exist. The constraint is turning good intentions into long- term, contract-backed cashflows that suppliers can leverage to finance their projects. Offtake commitments, carbon monetization, upfront capital and procurement reform are not side issues; they are the enabling infrastructure that will determine whether the next decade delivers scattered pilots or an investable, scalable industry. The book and claim mechanism creates liquidity in an economic market where buyers of low-carbon materials are geographically dispersed from sites of production. The mechanism allows for buyers of sustainable value and sellers of low-carbon building materials to concentrate demand and supply efficiently and exchange value directly. The publicly announced commercial contract between Microsoft and Sublime Systems would not have been possible without this book and claim mechanism. Joe Hicken, Sublime Systems Turning Challenge into Opportunity: Supplier Voices from Heavy-Emitting Sectors 33

Turning Challenge into Opportunity 2025