As great as it can be for construction, concrete often comes with a hefty carbon footprint. However, if you saw our post on low-carbon concrete, you know that it doesn’t always have to be that way. After all, more companies are coming out with mix designs that reduce the carbon emissions from concrete.

That’s not all either! Just recently, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) announced their plan to develop a roadmap to carbon neutrality by the end of 2021.

Like many in the construction industry, the PCA knows that it’s critical to continually increase the sustainability of concrete. It’s one of the most affordable and durable materials capable of withstanding safety concerns like fire and mold. Without it, construction could become just that much more costly.

That’s what makes low-carbon concrete and similar green practices so important. With them, we can continue using one of the better building materials available while mitigating the impact it has on the environment.

Already helping out with this cause? Whether you’re considering low-carbon concrete or already practicing other green methods, there are still more ways to lower your concrete carbon footprint. And here, we’ll walk you through four of them.

1. Reduce the Amount of Cement You Need 

To start, you might as well first look at the ingredients of your concrete mix. After all, there’s a reason that concrete is considered to be a major contributor of carbon. And that’s mainly due to one particular material found in its mix: cement. For every metric ton of cement produced, about another metric ton of CO₂ is released into the atmosphere. So a great way to reduce the carbon in your concrete is to reduce the amount of cement it needs.

When Planning Out Your Concrete Mix, You Can Apply These Cement Reduction Tips

There are a number of ways to reduce the cement in your concrete mix.

One method you could try involves avoiding the use of small aggregate unless necessary. That means using well-graded aggregates and keeping your maximum aggregate size to at least 20 mm (0.79 in). Why? Well, together, cement and water form a paste that fills the void between aggregates. It’s what makes concrete workable without losing form. And if there are larger, well-graded aggregates within the concrete mix, there are fewer voids to fill with paste. That reduces the amount of cement in the mixture. This not only in turn lowers the concrete’s carbon footprint, but it also reduces concrete shrinkage as well as the cost of the concrete itself.

The Institution of Structural Engineers also suggests reducing cement by adding admixtures and additions into the mix. For example, water-reducing admixtures can help maintain the slump and strength of a concrete mix after reducing its cement content, making for the most efficient use of the remaining cement. And partial cement replacements, such as ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (itself a recycled product), can reduce the amount of cement needed and lower the overall carbon emission of a concrete mix.

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