Scaling Low-Carbon Design and Construction with Concrete: Enabling the Path to Net-Zero for Buildings and Infrastructure

Buildings and infrastructure are responsible for approximately 40% of global carbon emissions each year, around 15 Gigatons. Unabated, this number could grow dramatically, effectively undercutting decarbonization efforts in other sectors. A substantial share of these emissions is released before an asset is ever used. The production of building materials accounts for an estimated 15-20% of buildings emissions and 50-60% of infrastructure emissions. Among building materials, cement is particularly important, accounting for around 30% of building materials emissions and 7% of global carbon emissions. Therefore, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and infrastructure, it is critical to examine the manufacturing and use of concrete, and decarbonizing the industry is crucial to achieving net-zero. This whitepaper presents a seven-part framework for scaling low-carbon design to reduce cement and concrete emissions.