Laing O’Rourke joins as the new founding member of ConcreteZero

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Laing O’Rourke helps strengthen the ConcreteZero campaign in delivering the global sustainability target of 100% net zero concrete by 2050.

Seventeen pioneering businesses made the public commitment, including an ambition to use 30% low emission concrete by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

Concrete production contributes 8% of global annual carbon emissions. With new developments the size of Paris due to be built globally every week over the next 40 years, the demand for concrete is set to continue growing. The concrete industry transitioning to net zero is vital to halving carbon emissions by 2030 and keeping within reach the goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C.

“By launching ConcreteZero, we’re doubling our efforts to get the highest emitting industries net zero. Steel and concrete production emits the same level of CO2 as all road transport globally, and with demand for both going up, this is only set to increase. Targeting the concrete industry was, therefore, a no-brainer. Adding ConcreteZero to our industry program enables us to continue to support the construction and property sector along its path to net zero,” says the Head of Industry at Climate Group, Rossella Nicolin.

“Our industry needs to move with greater urgency, and by working together, we can more effectively drive global demand for low carbon concrete. At Laing O’Rourke, we are capturing and using more and more data to advance our knowledge and develop innovative, lower-carbon solutions for our clients. Our team has harnessed the power of digital technologies to measure embodied carbon with our model-based calculator, and we are actively working to develop new solutions to speed up decarbonisation,” says the Head of Sustainability, Rossella Nicolin. 

Concrete, a mix of cement, gravel, sand, and water, is a final consumer product. The chemical process used to make traditional limestone cement is very energy intensive, emitting significant levels of CO2. Including cement in the concrete mix drastically increases the carbon emissions associated with the end product. By focusing on concrete, Climate Group can maximise all the opportunities in producing concrete to cut carbon emissions.

Founding members include Buro Happold, Byrne Bros, Canary Wharf Group, The Carey Group, Clancy Group, Grimshaw Architects, Grosvenor, Joseph Homes, Laing O’Rourke, Mace, Morrisroe, Multiplex Construction Europe, Ramboll, Skanska UK, Thornton Tomasetti, Wilmott Dixon, WSP.

Source: © LAING O’ROURKE 2022

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