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Passive House Project – Putman Family YWCA, Hamilton, ON Total Precast Panel construction on the Putman Family YWCA, Hamilton, ON. The first full-scale carbon capture and storage facility, Edmonton, AB. D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 | 9 Concrete P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y C P C I ; R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y H EI D EL B ERG M AT ER I A L S The concrete industry's resolute journey to net zero and decarbonization by ROBIN BRUNET A s 2023 draws to a close, the talk within cement and con- crete manufacturing circles is all about net-zero and ways to achieve it, with cement compa- nies and concrete associations moving forward to secure a more prominent footing. That includes the Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI), which in 2023 launched the 2030/2050 Net-zero Roadmap Initiative, a detailed guide for a decarbonized precast concrete industry by 2050. "Five industry working groups were established to develop the initiative, which includes how to execute reductions through facility design improvements, optimization, and accelera- tion of precast concrete construction, and more," says CPCI managing director Brian Hall, adding that the initiative will be published before year-end. Also, the CPCI worked with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) on a web-based Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) tool that allows members to prepare EPDs (self-declara- tions) of clinker, cement, aggregates, concrete, and precast elements, and contains new precast con- crete LCI data, which a third-party verifier can use to authenticate and become official public EPDs. "Since the GCCA EPD tool has been pre-verified by an approved EPD International verifier, the over- all verification cost of EPDs generated by the GCCA tool decreases significantly," Hall says. The tool was launched in October. Heidelberg Materials prides itself in leading the decarbonization of the cement industry, thanks to seven major carbon capture projects around the world. One of these projects – the first full-scale carbon capture and storage facility in the cement industry – is taking shape in Edmonton in part- nership with the Government of Canada; when it becomes operational in 2026, this new facility will capture more than one million tonnes of CO 2 ). The Edmonton plant will treat all emissions of flue gas from the kilns. Additionally, the heat and power plant that runs the facility will have its own carbon capture, resulting in the achievement of net- zero carbon emissions without the use of offsets. Many other initiatives contribute to Heidelberg Materials' decarbonisation push. "Our EvoBuild brand of low carbon concrete is available in a variety of ranges [Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Zero], takes specific targets and budgets into account, and helps ensure there is a sustainable solution to every Mixing It Up

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