Reductions are possible today
Carbon capture, utilization and storage, or CCUS, will be important for the cement industry to reach near zero. However, we do not need to wait for CCUS to become available on the scale before acting.
Several proven measures are already being used in construction projects:
• Optimizing concrete mixes to reduce cement content
• Replacing part of the cement with alternative binders
• Designing structures that use less material without compromising performance or durability
• Setting clear and ambitious climate requirements early
The main challenge is not whether these measures work. It is ensuring that they are considered early enough and used in more projects.
Early planning creates more options
By the time concrete is ordered, the design, technical requirements, and construction schedule are often already fixed. At that stage, the opportunities for reducing climate impact may be limited.
When climate requirements are introduced early, clients, designers, contractors, and concrete suppliers can evaluate different structural solutions and develop concrete mixes suited to the project.
There is no single solution for every application. Strength, exposure class, curing time, construction methods, local materials, and service life all affect what is possible. This is why low-carbon concrete requires planning and cooperation, not simply a change of ingredients.
Projects show what can be achieved
Major reductions are already being achieved in practice. In the West Link railway project in Gothenburg, Sweden, low-carbon concrete has been used on a large scale.
At the Takryttaren project in Uppsala, Sweden, early planning and close cooperation reduced the carbon footprint of the concrete by up to 60 percent, compared with the industry benchmark (Svensk Betong’s Guidance on Low-Carbon Concrete).
Every project has different conditions, but these examples show that substantial reductions are possible when climate performance is treated as a practical requirement from the start.
Reaching near zero will require further material development, improved processes, and CCUS at scale. But much of the knowledge and many of the solutions needed to reduce emissions already exist.
Now we need to apply them more consistently and make low-carbon concrete the starting point wherever project conditions allow.
