Due to its versatility, durability, and affordability, concrete has become the world’s most popular building material. Since it is used on such an immense scale, it generates roughly 8% of global CO2 emissions. These emissions derived from production are referred to as embodied carbon.

However, the world will continue to need concrete to address 21st-century challenges like climate change, housing crises, and sustainable development. This means that industry, government, and academia must collaborate to reduce its environmental impact. The CSHub is evaluating the potential impacts of a variety of pathways to lower the embodied carbon of cement and concrete, including the possibility of achieving carbon-neutral—or even carbon-negative—concrete.

The Basics of Cement and Concrete

• MIT News: Cement vs. concrete — their differences, and opportunities for sustainability (April 2020)

Topic Summaries

• A Primer on Building Environmental Product Declarations and Life Cycle Assessment (July 2018)

Research Briefs

• Mitigation Solutions for GHG Emissions in New Construction (August 2020)

Webinars

Lowering the Embodied Environmental Impacts of Cement and Concrete (February 2020)

The Role of Concrete in Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions (August 2020)