Cement and Concrete can Help Deliver Sustainable, Affordable Housings
Among this year’s sponsors of the OAA Conference is the Concrete Council of Canada. Its experts are sharing this advertorial with OAA members:
Homes and communities in Canada need concrete. Cement and concrete are used in the construction of nearly all types of homes, including single-family, townhomes, multiplexes, missing middle housing, and high-rise apartments and condos.
As the second most used commodity on the planet after water, and currently responsible for 1.4% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the carbon emissions of cement and concrete is a necessity.
While Canada’s cement and concrete producers are working hard at plants and job-sites to produce the building materials necessary to combat the housing crisis, they are also acting and collaborating to reduce our industry’s emissions. Released in May 2023,
Concrete Zero: Canada’s Cement and Concrete Industry Action Plan to Net-Zero shows that emissions reductions (using a 2020 baseline) of 40% by 2030, 59% by 2040, and net-zero by 2050 are possible.
This action plan is transparent and accountable, with progress reports to be released every five years. It also does not include the purchase of any offsets to meet emission reductions goals. The plan is based on the entire cement and concrete value chain, identifying 5 Cs for each stage where emissions reductions will come from: Clinker, Cement, Concrete, Construction, and Carbon Uptake.
Reducing Overdesign
The members of the Concrete Council of Canada are committed to working and collaborating with architects, engineers, and the construction sector to ensure efficient construction and reduced waste on the path to net-zero by 2050.
Construction efficiencies will account for 14% of emission reductions by 2050, for a total of 2.1MT of CO2 reductions.
Optimized design is one way the Council will encourage using less cement and concrete, thereby reducing emissions. Structural systems can be optimized by considering the size, shape, and spacing of structural components.
The Council is currently working with Queen’s University on a research project that is exploring optimal size and shape for concrete forms, ensuring maximum strength and durability can be delivered while reducing the amount of total concrete used.
Environmental Product Declarations
Emissions cannot be reduced if they are not tracked. Another way the industry is making it easier to reduce emissions in the construction of homes is by leading the effort in transparently documenting our industry’s emissions with
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). EPDs are available for numerous concrete products including ready-mix, precast, masonry, and pipe. At the cement level, all facilities in Canada have published facility-specific EPDs.
Working with Government
The Council is also committed to working with all levels of government to deliver housing sustainability.
In August 2022, the cement industry became the first industry-wide participant to join the Government of Canada’s Net-Zero Challenge.
Canada is co-chair of the global Cement and Concrete Breakthrough Initiative launched at COP28.
Ready-mix concrete was the first material included in the Government of Canada’s Standard on Embodied in Construction.
Conclusion
Cutting the cement and concrete industry’s emissions will have a big impact. This industry is up for the challenge and looks forward to working with members of the procurement, architecture, engineering, and design community, and the construction sector, to achieve our housing and sustainability goals.