Eight contractors trailblaze concrete carbon reduction plan

Abstract

In total, 15 pioneering businesses have made the public commitment, which includes ambitious short-term commitments to use 30% low emission concrete by 2025 and 50% by 2030. The ConcreteZero pledge is the brainchild of international non-profit Climate Group, in partnership with World GBC and WBCSD. Concrete production contributes 8% of global annual carbon emissions. The concrete industry transitioning to net zero is vital to halving carbon emissions by 2030 and keeping within reach the goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C. The founding ConcreteZero members signal to the industry the scale of demand for sustainably produced and sourced concrete. The members are breaking down barriers by making a baseline commitment to measure and report on the carbon emissions associated with the concrete they use. This data will enable the industry to define what low emission and net zero concrete is, bringing clarity and enabling collective action. Laing O'Rourke head of sustainability for Europe Rossella Nicolin said: "We are proud to be one of the founding signatories to the Climate Group's ConcreteZero commitment and to help lead the industry transition to net zero."Our industry needs to move with greater urgency, and by working together we can more effectively drive global demand for low-carbon concrete. "We look forward to working with our clients, partners and supply chain, delivering sustainable solutions to push this agenda forward." Ronan Clancy, executive director at Clancy, said: "Given the impacts of materials and products that we use in our industry, it is vital that we communicate to our supply chain that we want to see change and we can do this by sending strong demand signals."The ConcreteZero commitment is just such a signal and is why it is so important for Clancy to be part of this initiative at such an early stage.