Cassandre Le Galliard of Aggregate Industries discusses the driving factors housebuilders are facing concerning embodied carbon in cement
Housebuilders are at the forefront of the move towards creating an eco-friendlier environment, incorporating high-quality materials, low carbon technologies and green energy solutions into sustainable homes that enrich our living standards.
While the new Government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years is welcomed, vast amounts of materials will be needed, and sustainability must be central to this. Aggregate Industries is already collaborating with developers and contractors to drive sustainable building through the increased use of reduced carbon and recycled materials.
But how much greener would the world be if cement could be low carbon as well?
That’s why the London-based Global Cement and Concrete Association has pledged not just to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete – of which cement is a key ingredient – but to achieve neutrality across the industry by 2050 (the year that the Government has itself committed to reaching net zero).
It is an enviable target, and since launching our own ECOPact concrete product range, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in demand for low carbon sustainable products.
Low carbon solutions
A now much-in-demand low-carbon solution, ECOPact has been taken up in 30 worldwide markets, including housebuilding, to reduce the footprint of buildings and infrastructure to decarbonise construction at scale.
Delivering 100% performance, ECOPact can reduce the embodied carbon of buildings and homes by at least 30% without offsets. It is the industry’s broadest offering of low-carbon concrete for sustainable construction and is sold at a range of levels, starting at 30% lower embedded carbon compared to standard (CEM1) concrete.
By utilising a mix of supplementary cementitious materials and admixture technology, it is supporting a circular economy, it can also include recycled construction demolition materials, enhancing its environmental benefits by saving natural resources.
Building on the success of ECOPact, ECOPlanet has been added to our range of sustainable building solutions, which are aligned with the world’s highest standards of sustainable building certifications – from BREEAM to LEED. Its sustainability profile is driven by innovative low-emission raw materials and, using calcined clay and recycled construction demolition materials, our ECOPlanet formulations reduce buildings’ CO2 footprint by up to 30%.
Acceleration towards net zero
Concrete is the most used man-made material in the world, with about 14 billion cubic metres being used every day, 40% of which goes into building homes. Buildings account for around 40% of energy related global carbon emissions on an annual basis, with at least one-quarter of the emissions resulting from embodied carbon or carbon emissions associated with building materials and construction.
In the UK, according to the Climate Change Committee, 14% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our 28 million homes. Strenuous efforts are therefore being made to tackle that and housebuilders are increasingly aware of the pressing need to accelerate the industry towards net zero.
The majority, however, are already ‘squaring up’ to the challenges thrown at them by the Future Homes and Building Standard (FHBS) which aims to revolutionise new homes in the UK by slashing carbon emissions by 75-80% compared to current standards.
Significantly, 96% of senior leaders of housebuilders across the UK, contributing to an in-depth report – “Building Blocks to Future Homes” – conducted by Aggregate Industries, are fully aware of the FHBS and the required changes needed across their business for compliance.
More needs to be done
Moreover, robust preparatory actions are palpably underway – but despite awareness of the FHBS, more needs to be done, 52% of respondents have not aligned themselves with specialist environmental or sustainability consultancies; less than half (47%) are forging new supplier partnerships and just 46% are delving into low carbon building materials.
In a proactive move, 45% are amplifying their use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), while 42% are reassessing their house type range.
Notably, 88% have outlined targets for carbon reduction and, among these, almost two thirds (62%) have backed their targets with a sustainability strategy and a detailed roadmap to net zero. While just under half (47%) already have a dedicated sustainability director to navigate this green transition, another 38% are in the
process of appointing one, signifying a collective, strategic march towards a sustainable future.
Critiques, however, hinge on aspects such as the insufficiency of available support, short lead times to implement changes, educational deficits, and lack of government stimuli – factors which potentially hinder housebuilders in their race against stringent targets amidst an environment rife with policy delays and economic strife.
Building Blocks to Future Homes
Though the FHBS may be progressive and far-reaching, there are clearly some hurdles which must be overcome to feasibly bring it into force. Fundamental to this is tackling the lack of available academia, research and industry collateral on green building matters, making it even more difficult for housebuilders to upskill on their own merit.
As part of a strategic analysis presented in the “Building Blocks to Future Homes” report, the team at Aggregate Industries have proposed three key enablers to equip housebuilders with the right tools and support to ensure FHBS compliance.
It is calling for:
- A government-backed collaborative platform to facilitate cross-industry co-operation
- Dedicated stimuli for FHBS properties (e.g. stamp duty tax reductions for eco-friendly homes)
- The sustainable contractor skills gap to be addressed
With global warming continuing and the built environment accounting for approximately 40% of global GHG emissions, accomplishing net zero is unattainable without a fundamental decarbonisation of the sector. Our findings from this report stress the need for an evolution of regulatory frameworks which leverage the ambition within the sector to spur change.
The sustainability challenge is, after all, a shared one; and it is only together that we can create a future where we no longer need to have conversations about building greener because low carbon homes perform as designed, as standard, every time.
Concrete and cement production is an energy-intensive process which releases carbon dioxide, so early production of a more sustainable and cost-effective low-carbon cement, on a global scale, is vital if we are to meet the infrastructural needs of economically developing towns, cities and nations.
Strategic investment
Alterations in the manufacturing process of concrete and steel – both major embodied carbon contributors – will have a huge impact; hence low carbon cement facilities are currently being developed around the world and in the UK. As construction firms ramp up their delivery of sustainability commitments, there is recognition that the green innovation stakes must also be raised higher within the supply chain.
Meanwhile, for us at Aggregate Industries, significant strategic investment is being made in R&D and innovation as we move towards our goal as a supplier of sustainable construction materials.
At the Port of Tilbury, for example, our new manufacturing facility will fulfil the increasing demand for sustainable building materials within an evolving market. It will support the global drive for low carbon and circular construction materials and accelerate decarbonisation in the UK market.
As a manufacturer and supplier for the UK’s building industry, we are fervently committed to pioneering the sustainable future. This includes further and on-going of innovative sustainable alternatives across our concrete, cement, asphalt, aggregates and landscaping ranges.
Cassandre Le Galliard is sustainable product manager at Aggregate Industries