The concrete industry has significant number of stakeholders. Therefore, this session is intended to bring key stakeholders together and hear directly from them about what is needed to reach their carbon-reduction goals, some of the challenges they are facing, how to facilitate sector partnerships, beyond simply knowing about concrete PCRs, LCAs, and EPDs.
Learning Objectives:
(1) Identify key stakeholders in carbon-reduction initiatives and analyze their specific contributions to achieving carbon-reduction goals;
(2) Examine new national and international legislation, regulations, and guides influencing carbon-reduction, and evaluate their impact on various stakeholders;
(3) Propose strategies to facilitate sector partnerships that accelerate carbon-reduction among stakeholders;
(4) Identify common challenges stakeholders face in carbon-reduction initiatives and propose strategies to address reluctance in carbon-reduction.
This session has been approved by AIA and ICC for 2 PDHs (0.2 CEUs). Please note: You must attend the live session for the entire duration to receive credit. On-demand sessions do not qualify for PDH/CEU credit.
Low-Carbon Concrete Guide: Materials
Presented By: Mary Christiansen
Affiliation: University of Minnesota Duluth
Description: This presentation introduces a new resource from NEU that educates readers on how to reduce concrete's carbon footprint by using low-carbon materials, including those that are proven, emerging, and experimental. The guide explains key concepts of low-carbon concrete and provides strategic guidance on selecting low-carbon alternatives to traditional concrete materials, including portland cement and other constituent materials, and advanced design strategies. This resource aims to inform stakeholders including concrete producers and users about current market options and developmental technologies for decarbonizing the concrete industry.
New Cement Binders-Transition from OPC to Blended Cements, Challenges, and Future Opportunities
Presented By: David Burg
Affiliation: Ash Grove Cement Company
Description: The cement industry in North America is working to lower carbon emissions using several strategies. One of strategies is to manufacture blended cements meeting the specifications of ASTM C595 with a lower clinker factor. This presentation will discuss testing blended cement products in the lab and in the field in the Pacific Northwest. It will cover the benefits and challenges for all the stakeholders including owners, cement producers, concrete producers and concrete finishing contractors.
Carbon Capture and Storage for Net-zero Concrete
Presented By: Larry Rowland
Affiliation: Heidelberg Materials
Description: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Utilization technologies are a game changer in the concrete industry’s quest to decarbonize. This presentation will explain how CCS coupled with well-established carbon reduction methods such as the application of alternative binders can combine to make significant progress on the industry’s commitment to reach carbon neutrality. It will spotlight the first industrial scale CCS project in Brevik, Norway which is producing carbon captured cement, enabling net-zero concrete and explain the fundamentals of the amine technology being deployed. This presentation will provide insights to stakeholders that want to utilize the benefits of these technologies to further their carbon-reduction initiatives.
Admixture Innovation for Low-Carbon Cements: Addressing Early Strength and Durability Challenges on the Path to Net Zero
Presented By: Peter Boul
Affiliation: Lyten
Description: The incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) is one of the most effective strategies to lower the carbon footprint of cement and concrete. Yet, widespread adoption faces well-recognized hurdles, particularly reduced early-age strength and concerns about long-term durability. Industry experience with reduced-clinker products such as ASTM Type IL Portland cements has highlighted these challenges, with performance often falling short of conventional Type I cements.
Admixture technology provides a decisive pathway to overcoming these barriers. By tailoring cement hydration kinetics and microstructural development, modern admixtures can accelerate early strength gain, enhance durability, and ensure consistent performance in low-carbon systems. Emerging evidence demonstrates that carefully engineered admixtures can substantially increase early compressive strength, reduce permeability, and enable broader use of SCM-rich blends.
This session will examine lessons learned from integrating admixtures with binary and ternary cement systems, including applications in standard mortars, class C concrete and high-performance concretes. Case studies will highlight technical successes as well as remaining challenges, with particular attention to reducing dependence on high-cost materials such as silica fume while maintaining durability and structural reliability.
As the global cement and concrete sector advances toward carbon neutrality by 2050, admixture innovation emerges as a cornerstone of sustainable construction. This presentation will outline the strategic role of admixture development in enabling low-carbon cements at scale, ensuring the durability, performance, and economic viability required to transform the built environment.
Accelerating Carbon Reduction Through Effective Partnership
Presented By: Maria Abadie
Affiliation: Google
Description: This session explores a collaborative, partnership-based approach to accelerate carbon reduction across the building lifecycle. We will identify common examples of critical challenges and opportunities, from design to construction, and discuss how stakeholders can work together to find impactful solutions. The focus is on a holistic framework for collective action that balances material optimization with real-world project constraints to meet ambitious carbon-reduction goals.
The Future Landscape of Low Carbon Concrete Codes
Presented By: Nathan Forrest
Affiliation: CNCA
Description: Until now, codes and specifications have focused on the embodied carbon of concrete compared to other concrete. Going forward, we will need to be ready to compete with the carbon footprint of all building materials. This presentation will look at how regulators in California are positioning this future.