Build With Strength: Concrete Industry Lowers Carbon Footprint by 13% in 5 Years

Lionel Lemay, Executive Vice President, Structures and Sustainability-NRMCA said, “This represents a significant step towards meeting our carbon reduction goal.” “NRMCA members established sustainability goals to reduce environmental impact early on and are truly leading by example in this very important industry-wide initiative.”

In 2011, Architecture 2030 announced the “Challenge for Products”—with a goal for the materials industry to reduce carbon footprint by 50% by 2030. NRMCA became one of the first industry groups to adopt the 2030 Challenge in 2012 and, following Architecture 2030 protocol, published its benchmarks for carbon footprint in 2014.

James Bogdan, Senior Director, Sustainability Initiatives-NRMCA explained, “The analysis is based on a survey of 155 NRMCA members representing 1954 ready mixed concrete plants. The 13% reduction in carbon footprint is for 4,000 psi (pounds per square inch) concrete—the most frequently used concrete in the United States. Carbon footprint reduction ranged from 8% for 2,500 psi concrete and 20% for 8,000 psi concrete.”

The reductions can be attributed mainly to more efficient use of Portland cement—the primary binder used to make concrete. NRMCA has been promoting performance-based specifications for nearly two decades, which has helped eliminate prescriptive limits on concrete formulation such as minimum cement content and low water-to-cement ratio—unnecessarily drives up cement content (the main contributor to carbon emissions).

These reductions in carbon footprint represent averages across the entire industry. However, many NRMCA members are demonstrating even lower footprints by publishing Product Specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). For some applications and projects, concrete producers are incorporating innovative technologies to lower carbon footprint by 50% or more today:
• Supplementary cementitious materials
• Low-carbon cements
• Carbon capture

“NRMCA’s commitment to establishing industry baselines and facilitating the movement towards product reporting has accelerated the concrete industry’s movement towards meeting the 2030 Challenge. This commitment is inspiring innovations that hold incredible promise towards reducing concrete’s carbon footprint by more than 50% today. One growing technology, carbon capture, can even create a net negative carbon footprint in the manufacturing of concrete,” said Michael Philipps, President-NRMCA.

Build with Strength is a coalition of the NRMCA and played a key role in the collective reduction of the concrete industry’s carbon footprint. The coalition’s commitment to advancing sustainability in the industry helped to foster a spirit of collaboration, innovation, and transparency among members and other industry leaders. By sharing technologies and industry insights across companies and producers, the coalition is advancing the building industry’s sustainability goals in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. The coalition works with communities, lawmakers, and industry employees to advocate for safer, sustainable building materials. Since its launch in 2016, the initiative has helped bolster concrete’s position in the low and mid-rise building markets.

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