Sustainability and Concrete

A big step towards a change in the traditional concrete philosophy

Fig. 1 Sustainable use of concrete: wind energy plant, partly made of precast concrete.

Fig. 2 Probably the most famous concrete building in the world: the Pantheon in Rome.

Sustainable procurement, especially in the public sector, will become a common practice in the years to come. The construction sector/build environment as a whole and especially the construction material concrete has a high environmental impact that is not necessary and can be reduced to the benefit of all stakeholders. Of the 2.4 Billion ton CO₂ annually produced by Ordinary Portland Cement mainly for concrete, at least 1/3 can be reduced by allowing existing Best Sustainable Concrete Practice. In the process, the industry can be transformed into a higher tech sector.

Sustainability has three globally recognized pillars (from the Stern Review) [1];

People (Social=Health+Education), Planet (Environment) and Profit (Economy).

It is the task to seek harmony between these three pillars that need a 4^th element such as “Product” or “Project” in order to give “Sustainability” practical content.

The Economical benefits of concrete are without any question, being the most used construction product in the world. Financial contribution for all stakeholders can further increase with new added value technologies.

The Social aspect plays an important role if we want to...