Concrete Net-Zero by 2050

An Alliance of Giants for a greener construction industry.

Outside the building and property development industries – and indeed within them – it’s a little-known and very disturbing fact that concrete production is the cause of a staggering 8% of global carbon emissions yearly. So any initiative that reduces our industries’ collective carbon footprint is to be welcomed wholeheartedly – and the new Concrete Zero Pledge in particular, to which 17 major companies including the likes of Laing O’Rourke, Willmott Dixon and Skanska have already signed up, is to be applauded.

This alliance of construction industry giants is pledging that by 2025 at least a third of the concrete they use will be of the low-emission kind – and that will increase to half by 2030. By 2050, the commitment is only to be using net-zero concrete. That’s impressive in itself – but since the consortium is modelled on earlier renewables and green steel initiatives, it’s not unrealistic to expect it to boost the development of greener concrete products by demonstrating by example that a market for them exists.

Part of each company’s commitment is to measure and report on carbons emissions from the production of the concrete it uses to convey to the industry the urgency of the project, to demonstrate clearly the huge potential for sustainably sourced and produced concrete and most importantly to drive demand for low-carbon concrete.

The names of the companies on board read like a roll-call of the most influential names in our industry – including contractors Byrne Bros, The Carey Group, Clancy Group, Laing O’Rourke, Mace, Morrisroe, Multiplex, Skanska, Wilmott Dixon, their clients, Canary Wharf Group, Grosvenor and Joseph Homes and consultants Buro Happold, Grimshaw Architects, Ramboll, Thornton Tomasetti and WSP…

An alliance of giants indeed, with the weight and gravitas to sway an entire industry towards that ambitious but achievable goal.