The same durable, resilient concrete you depend on
can now reduce your carbon footprint by 10%
— Easy. Proven. Readily available. —
Same durability • Same resilience • 10% carbon footprint reduction*
Click to download PLC FACT SHEET PDF
Portland-Limestone Cement (PLC) is engineered with a higher limestone content. PLC (Type IL) gives specifiers, architects, engineers, producers, and designers a greener way to execute any paving, structure, or geotech project, with virtually no modifications to mix design or placing procedures, all while maintaining the resilience and sustainability to be expected from Portland cement concrete. *Typically, PLC can reduce your carbon footprint by 10%. For the PLC FACT SHEET, please click on image above, or go to: https://b910efcb-b4f5-4088-990d-b624f092391e.filesusr.com/ugd/f3d485_bf593dd744f049d98cbd293109fc42ce.pdf
TESTED & PROVEN: Decades of research, testing, and use by cement manufacturers, ready mix producers, and builders prove PLC performs as well as portland cement. Concretes made with PLC (Type IL), and other blended cements, have performed well around the world for decades. PLC and concrete mixes containing PLC have been subjected to decades of research and testing, by cement manufacturers, ready mix concrete producers, specifying agencies, owners, and end users. Cement producers optimize PLC products so that they perform in the same way as portland cement in concrete mixes and other applications … Research and experience in the U.S. and elsewhere shows that. To read more, please go to: www.greenercement.com/tested
REPLACEMENT & PERFORMANCE: Same mixing and handling. Same strength and durability, but better! If you work with cement and concrete, you already know how to work with PLC. Swapping out ordinary Portland cement (OPC) for Portland-limestone cement (PLC) 10% reduces CO2 by roughly 10%. And because PLC works with other supplementary cementing materials, you can still use fly ash or slag to reduce the carbon footprint of your concrete even further. To read more, please go to: www.greenercement.com/1to1replacement
APPLICATIONS & USES: Paving. Bridges. Structures. Geotech.—Almost anywhere you use ordinary Portland cement, you can use PLC instead. In the U.S., the majority of concrete is still made with ordinary Portland cement, whereas Europe and many other parts of the world have transitioned heavily toward blended cement products. Transportation infrastructure has seen quite a bit of PLC usage. Several state DOTs in the U.S. have had good success placing PLC concrete pavements for more than a decade. To read more, please go to: www.greenercement.com/applications
WORLDWIDE ACCEPTANCE: US, Canadian, and European standards define and support PLC’s global usage. Following its patent in 1824, Portland cement has continued to evolve, but the basic formulation is much like the original product. The predominant cement used in North America remains Portland cement, yet most countries in Europe have shifted heavily toward blended cements (including their versions of PLCs) because they offer similar performance with lower environmental footprints. To read more, please go to: www.greenercement.com/acceptance
CO2 Calculator: With the CO2 Calculator, all those on the project site can see how much CO2 they can save using PLC (Type IL). Enter the pavement length or building size to see how much you can reduce your carbon footprint! To learn more about the CO2 calculator, please to to: https://www.greenercement.com
SHAPED BY CONCRETE: “A ‘Greener’ Cement Supporting Sustainability and Reducing Carbon Footprint”:
Concrete is ubiquitous in our daily lives. As the world’s most-used man-made material, it is an essential part of infrastructure improvements and new construction throughout North America. Concrete is durable; resilient; doesn’t rust, rot, or burn; and can withstand powerful storms. Now, it is also greener.
PLC has been a common type of cement internationally for decades, but is still relatively new to North America. Its main benefit is a lower carbon footprint, with CO2 emissions reduced during production by 10% on average. In fact, by shifting production to PLC, manufacturers have already reduced CO2 emissions by more than 325,000 metric tons in the U.S. from 2012-2018—equivalent to the amount of CO2 stored in over 400,000 acres of forest — without sacrificing the material’s physical properties needed for their projects. A few examples how PLC is already helping reduce CO2 emissions in the U.S.:
- Using PLC contributed to a 50% lower carbon footprint for Mississippi State University’s Davis Wade Stadium.
- Using PLC to build new bridge decks, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TNDOT) saved about 50 lbs. of CO2 for each cubic yard of concrete—equivalent of the energy emissions from charging 2,892 smartphones.
- Using PLC to construct the University of California, San Diego biomedical research facility resulted in a 160-ton reduction in CO2 emissions, which is equal to the energy emissions from burning 176,298 lbs of coal.
- The ongoing construction of the Drexel University Academic Tower is using PLC and saving about 370 tons of CO2 emissions – equivalent to energy emissions from 41,634 gallons of gasoline consumed.
These examples prove that as we continue to rely on concrete to support our thriving cities and rural areas, the cement and concrete industry is working diligently to ensure the building materials we need are becoming more sustainable. Because of the scale at which concrete is used, even small changes to its formulation to make it greener can have a dramatic positive impact on emissions.
Produced in a way that is very similar to traditional Portland cement, but adding more limestone, PLC is used during the mixing process, resulting in a reduction in CO2 intensity. It has undergone extensive testing and research in the U.S. and other countries to ensure its durability and resiliency. Builders and designers can expect the same strength with minimal disruption and change to their projects. The decrease in CO2 emissions makes PLC a more sustainable, yet equally resilient and dependable option as a building material.
The cement & concrete industry is committed to continuing research & innovation to provide greener solutions to improve upon these essential materials, helping to create more sustainable communities & an environmentally responsible future for our planet.
To learn more about PLC, Case Studies, PLC Partners, FAQs, and more, please go to “Reduce Your Carbon Footprint with PLC”: www.greenercement.com
To learn more specifics about the cement and concrete industry’s commitment to sustainability, please visit the “Shaped by Concrete” web page blog by Filiberto Ruiz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Votorantim Cimentos North America, titled “A ‘Greener’ Cement Supporting Sustainability and Reducing Carbon Footprint”: www.shapedbyconcrete.com/#news?article=a-greener-cement-supporting-sustainability-and-reducing-carbon-footprint