10 Ideas to Lower the Embodied Carbon of Concrete on a Project

1. ???We manage what we measure.?3rd party validated environmental product declarations (EPD’s) show the amount of global warming potential (GWP) of each specific source of raw material within concrete mixes. A project can require concrete suppliers to provide EPD’s as part of a submittal. This establishes a benchmark of the total embodied carbon of the concrete in the project and allows an owner to compare bids along these lines.?

2.?????Set goals and communicate them.?Owners and/or specifiers can challenge and incentivize contractors and suppliers to lower the total embodied carbon on a project. As data is collected over time, projects will be able to benchmark and compare against other ones. At Ozinga we have a goal to lower the embodied carbon of our concrete every year and to commercialize zero carbon concrete by 2030.?

3.?????Find the paths of least resistance.?The solutions that are most successful are those that are seamless to the supplier and the end user. The market is resistant to a “green premium”, codes and specs are slow to change, and customers don’t have tolerance for products that delay the project delivery.?

4.?????Specify performance vs prescription.?This will allow the contractor and supplier to have more flexibility to achieve desired outcomes without being handcuffed by how to do it. There are numerous ways to lower the embodied carbon on a project. Newer technologies will likely expose dated and problematic specification language and call for new standards and specifications to be considered and adopted.?For example, extending strength criteria from 28 days to 56 and even 90 days, depending on the application, can go a long way to meet a desired embodied carbon outcome without sacrificing quality.

5.???No silver bullets. Achieving lower embodied carbon takes a combination of solutions. Portland limestone cement (PLC), slag cement (GGBFS), fly ash, liquid admixtures and carbon sequestration are some of the current ways concrete suppliers are lowering the embodied carbon on a project.

6.?????CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage).?Carbon will likely need to be captured and stored and/or utilized in order to achieve carbon neutral and even carbon negative concrete. There is a unique opportunity for concrete to be a hero in this effort by utilizing and permanently entombing?CO2 generated by other industries. CO2 can be used as a value-added product within concrete.?

7.?????Emerging Technologies.?Never in the history of our industry has there been more research, venture capital and talent, dedicated to coming up with new solutions to address this issue worldwide. From Bill Gates to Jeff Bezos and others, money is pouring in to many new start ups that are in concept and and/or pilot stage of lower carbon concrete solutions.

8.?????Incentives in place.?There are new financial incentives in place to move in this direction. Federal tax incentives for carbon capture such as 45Q and an emerging voluntary carbon offset market are in place and being utilized now. The Inflation Reduction Act as well as a several state and local government policies, are highlighting low carbon materials as a preference in government work. How this will roll out in practice is yet to be determined.

9.?????Collaboration is key.?In order to be successful, many different parties need to work together to get it accomplished – owners, specifiers, contractors, suppliers, gov’t agencies, industry associations, etc.?This collaboration will require suppliers and other stakeholders to work together in the design phase of a project, which is much earlier than what is traditionally the case.

10.??Now is the time.?This is a new and emerging trend. It will take a lot of persistence to develop but there’s no time like the present to start working on it because things like this take a lot of time, particularly in the construction industry. But there are a lot of tailwinds, both in the private sector and the public sector. The momentum is building and it is an exciting time in the life of our industry.??