Launch of Sustainable Concrete Chain Innovation Program

The Innovation Program of the Concrete Agreement was launched on March 26. Market parties from the concrete chain will work together with clients on innovations that will be widely applicable within 1 to 5 years. Spearheads are Sustainable Concrete and Sustainable Design and Construction with Concrete. With these innovations high ambitions in the field of CO2 reduction and circularity within the entire concrete chain can be achieved.

Preparation completed

The Concrete Agreement is approaching the scale-up phase. A group of representatives from the concrete and construction industry and clients have spent the past 2 ½ years preparing everything so that the results can now be scaled up. The ambition is great. The roadmaps drawn up show that it is possible to reduce CO2 by at least 50-60% compared to 1990 by 2030 and to return 100% of all circularly demolished concrete (about 20% of the total concrete needed) to new construction. But this can only be achieved if the concrete chain, together with the clients, will accelerate the implementation of innovations. The innovation program established by the Concrete Accord provides for this.

The Concrete Agreement, in line with the EU Circular Economy Package (2020), opts for a so-called Frontrunner approach. Frontrunners are those chain partners who can meet stricter environmental requirements than 'the pack' with proven innovations. They indicate what 'the pack' should also be able to apply in a few years.

Innovation Program

Some innovations are already applicable, but not yet widely used. These quick wins will be widely publicized by the Concrete House and the Concrete Association in the coming period. In addition, some 18 innovations have been identified that can be applied and validated within 1-5 years.

The innovation program calls on parties in the concrete and construction industries to test and validate these 18 promising innovations in practice. The clients involved in the Concrete Agreement have pledged to finance the necessary innovations together with the market. In principle, 8 million has been made available for this purpose. This budget will be supplemented by a similar contribution from the market parties (partly in kind possible).

 Market participants are invited to submit their innovation
submit proposals. For further information on this, see https://www.betonakkoord.nl/opschalingsfase

Sustainable and circular concrete

The innovation program focuses on two themes: Sustainable Concrete and Sustainable Concrete Design and Construction. Sustainable concrete is about the targeted improvement of the environmental performance and life extension of concrete, for example, the use of low-CO2 binders, the application of accelerators and the use of low-CO2 reinforcement. Sustainable design and construction includes smart, adaptive and modular design and circular construction. This could include topological design, 3D printing, design on re-use elements and smarter construction planning.

Jacqueline Cramer, president of the Concrete Agreement: "This innovation program makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions in the concrete chain by at least 50-60% and achieve 100% reuse of circular demolished concrete by 2030. In doing so, we as the Netherlands play a pioneering role internationally. By working together with all parties in the concrete and construction industry, we are building in the coming years a sustainable chain that thrives, innovates and competes and is attractive to work in."

Source: Concrete Association