Concrete continues emissions cuts

The second annual Concrete Sustainability Performance Report, published this month, is an industry wide attempt to, by 2012, make concrete the ‘leader in sustainable construction’.

Building upon the first report, published in 2009, and focusing on 14 performance indicators against which the concrete sector has committed to be benchmarked against and to improve upon.

Looking at the report’s 2008 performance data the most notable achievement is the reduction by 17% of the level of CO2 emissions as a proportion of concrete output from a 1990 baseline figure of 103.1kg CO2 per concrete tonne to 85kg.

The Concrete Centre’s executive director of, Andrew Minson, said: “The publication of the second performance report follows the concrete industry’s agreement in 2008 to sign up to a Concrete Industry Sustainable Construction Strategy.

“The pan-industry agreement called for a commitment for the development of industry performance indicators and for achievement of set targets.

“The publication of performance data and targets reflects the concrete industry’s commitment to transparency and continual improvement.

“These are not vague promises but commitments to real action that will build upon the good work already achieved and on the inherent sustainable performance benefits of concrete,”

To download a copy of The Concrete Industry Sustainability Performance Report click here.

Luke Walsh