Penetron Zero Carbon Concrete

As the world’s second-largest producer of CO₂, the global cement industry has become a major focus of the COP26 climate targets. In response, Canada, Germany, India, the UAE and the UK have pledged to achieve net zero in the “major public construction” use of concrete and steel by 2050. Supporting this direction, 40 global concrete and cement manufacturers under the GCCA have committed to halving CO₂ emissions by 2030 as part of the pathway towards net zero by 2050.

Concrete structures contribute the lion’s share, approximately 66%, of a building’s embodied carbon, making concrete a pressing area for action. With the carbon footprint of water and aggregates considered negligible, concrete’s carbon footprint is determined almost entirely by cement at 0.93 kg CO₂/kg, making cement the largest contributor to embodied carbon in the built environment. Cement production also generates high levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulphur oxide (SOx), which contribute to acid rain, deteriorating public health and global climate change. For Sub-Saharan Africa, this reinforces the importance of designing durable concrete infrastructure that remains operational for longer and requires fewer resource-intensive repairs or replacements.