Today's concrete industry is a beautiful, clean industry

"Concrete is increasingly seen as a sustainable material. However, there is also a large group that thinks it is a product with large CO2 emissions," notes Ron Peters, director of industry association Concrete House. "That's probably because concrete is always about big numbers. It is - after water - the most consumed material in the world. But this creates an incorrect picture. Annually it is only 1.6% of the total emissions in the Netherlands. That still seems a lot, but is explainable by the indispensable role of concrete as the most widely used building material in our country."

If anywhere has worked hard on carbon neutrality, it is within the concrete industry. The figures make this abundantly clear as well. Whereas the concrete industry worldwide accounts for 7% CO2 emissions, the same figure in Europe is 3% to 5% and in the Netherlands only 1.6%. Peters: "The binder used in the Netherlands has a significantly lower CO2 load than the binder used in other countries. We are the best boy in the class."

Building value model and reuse

Now the applied binder is just one of the measures the industry has taken to bring down its footprint. For example, it has also committed to the Building Value Model. "Already during the design phase, circularity is taken into account," Peters explains. "The concrete elements are designed so that after fulfilling their initial function, they can be made suitable for a new function relatively easily. You also see this around you. More and more you see concrete building components being reused. But you also see more and more that entire shells are left for reuse. Only when that is not possible, the concrete is energy-efficiently crushed and made part of new concrete."

A clean industry

The processes of design, production, transport and assembly have also come under scrutiny. Thus, standardization is being worked on, combined with far-reaching industrialization and digitalization. For environmentally friendly production and transportation, more and more equipment is being electrified within the industry, supplemented by the use of green electricity. "The concrete industry has developed into a beautiful, clean industry that increases prosperity with beautiful structures."

Immense added value

In doing so, concrete plays an important role in society. This may also be emphasized, Peters believes. "It provides immense added value to our living, working and well-being. What about the pipes and manholes in our sewer system, which ensure that dirty water is drained before it can do any harm? What would our low-lying country look like without concrete foundation piles, bridges, overpasses, aqueducts and high-rise buildings? And how much does concrete beautify our environment with street furniture, comfortable bike lanes and beautiful sleek structures?"

Durable qualities

Within this plea, of course, the fantastic properties of concrete cannot be omitted, properties that fit seamlessly within a sustainable policy. Concrete is low-maintenance, fireproof, hygienic and insulating. And that with an unprecedented longevity. "The Pantheon is among one of the first buildings constructed in concrete and has stood for over 2,000 years now."