Sustainable Construction with Concrete: Is it Possible?
Last Updated: Mar 28, 2025Worldwide, around 4,100 million metric tons of cement were produced in 2019 alone. Joseph Aspdin patented Portland cement in 1824. Since then, experts estimate that we have made enough cement to coat our planet's entire surface with a thin layer of concrete. The Roman Empire made a more rustic type of concrete by mixing lime and volcanic rock. Today's cement industry manufactures its products through a chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron, and other ingredients. Despite the clear advantages that cement and concrete have brought to construction, the global cement industry has an enormous carbon footprint. As a material, it is not often associated with the sustainable building movement.
Table of Contents
- The Ecological Footprint of the Cement Industry
- What Are the Benefits of Concrete Construction?
- How Can Concrete Be Green?
- Bottom Line
How Can Concrete Be Green?
Architects and home builders are faced with a dilemma. Cement and concrete are extremely useful and practical for several elements of home construction. Still, they are also a measurable contributor to global warming. Fortunately, innovations in the cement industry are showing promises of more earth-friendly products. We will look at four ways in which the cement industry is slowly becoming more sustainable. They are:
- Recycled concrete
- Carbon negative cement
- Recycled plastic as a reinforcing agent, and
- Earth-friendly concrete made without cement.
Recycled Concrete
The United States produces around 317 million tons of construction and demolition waste each year; a large percentage of that waste is from concrete. While discarded concrete fills large amounts of landfill space, today, 38 states use recycled concrete as a sturdy road base. In Germany, 89% of concrete demolition waste is recovered and recycled. Cement cannot be separated from the concrete. But, by pulverizing concrete, it is possible to create a useful aggregate for future construction projects. Thus it will limit the need for mining other raw materials and reduce the stress on landfills around the country.
Earth-Friendly Concrete
The Australian company, Wagners, has created what they term an "Earth-Friendly" Concrete product. This cement alternative uses absolutely no Portland cement. Instead, it utilizes a geopolymer binding system. It is 100% sourced from two typical industrial waste by-products: blast furnace slag (from iron production) and fly ash (from coal-fired power plants). Wagners claim that the total carbon emissions associated with this cement alternative reduce carbon dioxide emissions up to 90 percent compared to Portland cement. Also, it has a much lower embodied energy rating because it is sourced from industrial waste products.
This earth-friendly concrete has moved beyond the planning stage. Over 51,000 square meters of heavy-duty pavement has been constructed at the Brisbane West Wellcamp airport for taxiing runways. Wagners report that close to 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions were avoided using earth-friendly concrete instead of Portland cement for this project.
Bottom Line
As technology continues to advance, more and more cement alternatives should continue to emerge. These new options will allow builders and homeowners to continue to enjoy the structural advantages that cement and concrete offer while also vastly reducing traditional cement's ecological footprint.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
