The concrete that will eventually be poured at construction sites is formed when cement is mixed with water and other aggregates.

Manufacturing concrete is a complex process. From everyday concrete for residential applications to ultra-high strength concrete for the tallest buildings and longest bridges in the world, concrete manufacturing requires stringent quality control and an understanding of the characteristics and properties of local materials.

Concrete can be made for any application to meet the needs of engineers, contractors, owners and others. The Roadmap targets improved mix designs that optimize every single component within concrete.

With dozens of inputs and outputs, leveraging both conventional and machine-based tools allows producers to transition from a set menu of default mixtures to designing tailor-made mixtures using the right materials at the right time for the right application.

Additionally, making and transporting concrete takes energy, and the transition to zero-emission fleets and lower-carbon sources of fuel will reduce these emissions.

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Reducing Emissions When Making Concrete Focuses on Mix Design and Lower-Carbon Fuels

Optimizing Concrete Mixes

Improved mix design translates into avoided CO2. A cubic yard of concrete today represents about 500 pounds of CO2. By 2050, a cubic yard of concrete will represent less than 200 pounds of CO2, a reduction in the intensity of 60%.

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Optimizing Fuels to Mix and Deliver Concrete

Mixing and delivering concrete requires energy. Concrete manufacturers are exploring renewable and lower-carbon fuel options and transitioning from diesel-powered to zero-emissions fleets.

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The Resiliency Benefits of Concrete

Concrete creates some of the most energy-efficient, long-lasting and climate-adapted structures. The thermal mass, reflectivity, strength, durability and resiliency of concrete make it part of the solution to address climate change and global warming.

Every structure is designed on basic principles like strength, stiffness, stability, durability and long-term performance. Despite advances in buildings codes and design, there is still an inherent amount of over-design in materials and structures.

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Sustainability Progress

Threefold effort to optimize power use

St Marys Cement expects up to 10% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as plant shifts to alternative fuels and lower-carbon cement blends.

Shifting production to lower carbon cement is essential

Ash Grove South, a CRH Company, announced in 2021 a 100% shift to producing portland-limestone cement, reducing emissions up to 10%.

Cutting emissions by increasing efficiency and using local materials

CalPortland’s Mojave Plant is producing lower-carbon cement and upgrading operations to reduce emissions.