Do you want to know more about How concrete contributes to the reduction of climate change?

Concrete is a common building material. It has been around in various forms for centuries. It is now used for anything from homes and businesses to highways, walkways, and patios, making it one of the world"s most widely utilized and flexible building materials.

Many individuals need to realize that concrete also positively impacts the environment. Concrete ranks among the best, most natural building materials when considering the environmental impact of construction. It can even aid in conserving natural resources, solidifying concrete"s position as the material for sustainable construction. Keep on reading to know about the contribution of concrete to the climate.

The Environmental Benefits of Concrete

Given its inherent properties like strength, durability, resistance to extreme weather, and hazards like fire, thermal mass, recyclability, carbon uptake, and local availability, concrete offers significant sustainability benefits over other building materials when considering a building"s performance over its entire lifecycle.

Powerful, Long-Lasting, Resilient, and Secure

The public places a premium on the built environment"s security, including buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure. Buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure must be durable and resistant to the effects of natural and artificial calamities alike. Concrete is well-known for its robustness, longevity, resilience, and security features, such as its resistance to fire.

Circular Economy and Carbon Emissions

The cement manufacturing industry has made great strides in lowering CO2 emissions, and concrete has several eco-friendly properties. Since 1990, the cement sector has managed to cut its carbon footprint by 19% (GCCA in Numbers, 2020). The industry also created Climate Ambition to meet global climate goals by providing carbon-neutral concrete to the public by 2050. The carbon absorption capacity of concrete to permanently sequester CO2 in buildings is now widely recognized, allowing concrete producers and designers to employ concrete to minimize carbon footprints for their clients and customers. Concrete is 100% recyclable at the end of its useful life and can be reused multiple times.

Biodiversity

We must lessen our footprint on Earth if we care about the planet"s biodiversity. The cement and concrete sector has made a sustained effort to boost local biodiversity for many years. As part of our Sustainability Charter, GCCA members commit to having a beneficial influence on the land they use and following our biodiversity principles and rules regarding land use.

Transport in the Area

Concrete"s eco-friendliness stems partly from the fact that many of its constituent parts come from the United Kingdom. Concrete"s minimal transportation emissions make it environmentally friendly and economically beneficial compared to other construction materials imported worldwide.

As a bonus, aggregates, and concrete are typically made in the immediate area. According to estimates by Greenspec, a company that advocates for "green" building materials and methods, every construction site in the United Kingdom is within ten miles of a ready-mix concrete plant, reducing the concrete"s final transportation cost and carbon footprint.

Utilization of Waste Products

The by products of factories and power plants are among the many recyclable materials found in concrete. For instance, Portland cement is made from limestone, clay, sand, and fly ash (a byproduct of burning coal). Sand, gravel, crushed stone, and concrete from demolition debris and blast furnace slag from steel mills are only some waste materials that go into making aggregates.

Making concrete from a wide variety of resources that would otherwise go to waste is possible. Cement factories can use combustible waste, such as discarded tires, as a fuel source.

Conclusion about How concrete contributes to the reduction of climate change

To minimize the severity of climate change and to battle its impacts, extraordinary features of concrete are essential, as they allow for the construction of sustainable and resilient structures and communities worldwide.