Sequestering carbon in concrete
Many urban surfaces including roads, sidewalks, and even roofs, are made of concrete. It’s everywhere. In fact, concrete is so ubiquitous that its production is responsible for 8% of global annual carbon emissions.
Thankfully, many emerging technologies promise to trap, or sequester, carbon during the manufacturing process. But the key word is “promise.” The Smart Surfaces Coalition supports the many innovations that are reducing or sequestering carbon during the manufacture of concrete. SSC and its partners seek to ensure transparency–and accuracy–for evaluating various low-carbon and net-sequestering concrete claims and to ensure that concrete users, such as cities, are informed about the climate impact of various concrete products.
Introducing CarbonStar®. A quantification and specification method for calculating the embodied carbon of concrete, CarbonStar® is the first American National Standards Institute-compliant standard, covering carbon intensity for concrete.
CarbonStar® was developed with CSA Group (formerly Canadian Standards Association), after a five years-long standard development process by a committee of leading industry, academic, and government experts from the US and Canada. The Smart Surfaces Coalition’s CEO, Greg Kats, served as the Committee Chair in creating CarbonStar®. CarbonStar® is already being used to specify the carbon intensity of the concrete used for the San Francisco International Airport’s multi-billion dollar expansion project.
For the hundreds of cities and corporations that are increasingly concerned about climate change and slowing their own climate impact, CarbonStar® provides a timely and powerful new tool to demonstrate their role in building a decarbonized economy.
For case studies and examples of existing policies that lower concrete’s carbon intensity, please view this document.
To learn more about CarbonStar®, visit carbonstarstandard.org and read the Product Profile and Press Release.
Smart Surfaces Coalition partners working on concrete innovation include the World Cement Association, the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, and the National League of Cities.
