Environmental credentials

This area of the website investigates the down stream in-use environmental benefits that concrete construction solutions have to offer and in light of climate change and also the upstream environmental impacts of the production of concrete and its raw ingredients.

All construction products have impacts as outlined in the resource myth buster section.

A few facts about concrete:

  • The raw materials required for concrete are amongst the most abundant minerals on Earth and the UK is self-sufficient in these materials.  Local sourcing of these commonly occurring raw materials and regional end product delivery reduce the economic and environmental costs of haulage.
  • Practising Industrial Ecology, the use of by-products from other industries, e.g. fly ash, pulverised fuel ash (PFA)/ground granulated blastfurnace slag (ggbs) as Supplementary Cementitious Materials,  and recycled and secondary aggregates in concrete further reduces environmental impacts.
  • Ready-mixed concrete producers and precasters operate under Quality Assurance schemes and are committed to reducing waste and improving efficiency.
  • Many UK manufacturers recycle concrete waste on a daily basis and, at the end of its life, the elements from a concrete and masonry house can be crushed and reused as hardcore or aggregate.
 

A few facts about the upstream industries of concrete:

Cement

  • Many cement companies are aiming for significant reductions in their global CO2 emissions. For example, Lafarge Cement by 20% and Heidelberg Castle Cement by 15%.
  • The industry is responding positively to the sustainable development agenda. All UK cement companies are implementing the Cement Sustainability Initiative developed through the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
  • All UK cement works have ISO 14001 environmental management systems. Two thirds have EMAS management systems.
  • The industry has signed up to the UK Government Climate Change Agreement and will deliver an energy efficiency improvement across the sector of 25.6% between 1990 and 2010. It is currently on target to achieve this. A total of £400 million is being invested to improve energy efficiency and provide higher standards of environmental performance.
  • The industry also actively recovers the energy from wastes by using them to replace fossil fuels. Wastes such as used tyres, waste solvents, domestic refuse, unrecyclable paper and plastics. Using these secondary fuels not only reduce the need for landfill sites or their disposal by incineration but also helps preserve our finite reserves of fossil fuels. Used tyres, for example, are an ideal secondary fuel as they have a calorific value similar to coal, contain steel which reduces the amount of iron oxide needed and lowers the industry's emissions of SOx and NOx. This process of 'industrial ecology' enables a single cement kiln to recover energy from 1 million used tyres every year.
 

Aggregates

The quarrying industry is keen to address environmental issues and works closely with relevant government agencies to ensure continuous improvement.
  • All quarries have rehabilitation plans. An annual Restoration Award scheme is operated by the Mineral Products Association to ensure that former quarries are transformed into habitats for wildlife and country parks.
  • Investments are being made in energy-efficient crushing machinery for both quarrying of fresh aggregate and recycling of aggregates from demolished buildings.
  • Companies are sensitive to the views of their local communities, often forming local liaison groups.
  • The aggregates industry operates within tightly regulated environmental planning constraints. 
  • The restoration of quarry sites is a key requirement for all operators. Over 700 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have their origins in mineral extraction.
  • Around 25% of aggregates used in the UK are from recycled and secondary sources. This is the highest aggregates recycling rate in Europe.