ACI takeaways from Day 3 of COP30

11/13/2025

ACI Past President Antonio Nanni is at COP30 Brazil this week, representing ACI to reaffirm our leadership in the world of concrete and to make sure our commitment to our strategic goal of advancing resiliency and sustainability in the construction industry is communicated. The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the largest global United Nations event for discussions and negotiations on climate change. The meeting is held annually, with the presidency rotating among the five UN-recognized regions.

Dr. Nanni is providing a daily report from the event floor. Watch his latest video from Belém.

In past COP conferences, cement manufacturers often took center stage. This year, in Belem, a different voice led the conversation, as Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of construction materials, took the lead. The most significant construction-related sustainability-focused event of the day took place at the Museu do Estado do Pará, where Saint-Gobain hosted a gathering of industry leaders, policymakers, and sustainability experts.

The event opened with remarks from Benoit Barzin, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain, who set the tone for an evening centered on collaboration and innovation. The highlight of the presentation and associated fireside chats was the company’s Action Paper on sustainable construction, released during COP30.

“At a time when COP30 reminds us of the urgency to act and stay aligned with our decarbonization goals, it is taking a new step forward by presenting its Action Paper on sustainable construction to accelerate the transition of the construction industry,” Bazin said in a company press release.

The paper identifies six major transformative issues, according to Saint-Gobain, with the greatest potential to drive systemic change across the construction value chain. Through fireside chats, speakers explored these themes in depth.

Several important ideas emerged from the presentations and discussions, with the following being the most significant to me:

One notable moment came during a fireside chat with Ryan Colker, Executive Director of Energy, Resilience, and Innovation at the International Code Council (ICC). In his remarks, Colker highlighted ACI, citing an example of initiatives that the Institute undertakes to innovate concrete.

– Antonio Nanni