{"id":8112,"date":"2025-12-12T16:03:52","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/como-acelerar-el-uso-de-hormigon-de-bajas-emisiones-el-debate-de-concrete-zero-en-el-v-foro-de-construccion-circular\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T16:23:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:23:17","slug":"como-acelerar-el-uso-de-hormigon-de-bajas-emisiones-el-debate-de-concrete-zero-en-el-v-foro-de-construccion-circular","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/como-acelerar-el-uso-de-hormigon-de-bajas-emisiones-el-debate-de-concrete-zero-en-el-v-foro-de-construccion-circular\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"How to accelerate the ese of low-carbon Concrete: Concrete Zero takes the debate to the V Circular Construction Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Concrete accounts for roughly 7% of global CO\u2082 emissions, making its decarbonisation essential to meeting climate goals. At the V Circular Construction Forum, The Climate Group presented ConcreteZero<\/strong>, a global coalition launched in 2022 to shift the concrete market toward low-emission solutions.<\/p>\n

The workshop, led by Marta Dawydzik<\/strong> and The Climate Group team, combined technical insights, an overview of the Spanish market, a fireside chat with Cristina Sendr\u00e1 (Eco Intelligent Growth)<\/strong>, and interactive group discussions with industry stakeholders. The goal: identify real barriers and activate practical solutions to scale low-carbon concrete in Spain.<\/p>\n

\"Circular

Circular Construction Summit 2025 \u00b7 Grupo Construc\u00eda<\/p><\/div>\n

What Is ConcreteZero and Why Does It Matter for Spain?<\/strong><\/p>\n

ConcreteZero brings together companies that specify, design, or build with concrete under a shared commitment:
\nachieving net-zero concrete by 2050<\/strong>, driving faster innovation and adoption of new solutions.<\/p>\n

The initiative is pushing for clearer standards, common metrics, and a unified language for defining \u201clow-carbon concrete,\u201d helping reduce technical uncertainty and enabling reliable comparisons.<\/p>\n

In Spain, ConcreteZero arrives at a critical moment. The national decarbonisation roadmap for cement still relies heavily on:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • incremental efficiency improvements in clinker production,<\/li>\n
  • limited clinker substitution,<\/li>\n
  • biofuels,<\/li>\n
  • and carbon capture and storage technologies (CCUS).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    To accelerate progress, the demand side \u2014 builders, developers, and the public sector \u2014 needs to take a more active role.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Key Barriers to Scaling Low-Carbon Concrete in Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n

    During the workshop, participants converged on four main clusters of barriers:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Outdated Regulations and Standards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Spain \u2014 like much of Europe \u2014 lacks regulations that fully support:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • alternative cements,<\/li>\n
      • recycled aggregates,<\/li>\n
      • novel binders,<\/li>\n
      • or lower-emission concrete formulations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Although project supervisors could technically approve these materials through performance-based criteria, this almost never happens due to:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • increased professional liability,<\/li>\n
        • insurers refusing to cover non-standardised solutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          This reinforces a risk-averse culture<\/strong> that stalls innovation, even when viable technologies exist.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Economic Barrier: The \u201cGreen Premium\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Low-carbon concrete often comes with a higher upfront cost.
            \nWithout strong demand or public incentives, this price gap discourages adoption.
            \nParticipants noted that scaling, green public procurement, and regulatory alignment could significantly reduce the premium.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Lack of Strong Market Demand<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              With no mandatory requirements or clear incentives, most projects default to conventional concrete.
              \nThis creates a vicious cycle:
              \nlow demand <\/strong>\u2192<\/strong> limited competitive supply <\/strong>\u2192<\/strong> higher cost <\/strong>\u2192<\/strong> more inertia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Cultural and Professional Inertia<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                The construction sector still operates under linear, conservative logics:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • repeating traditional methods,<\/li>\n
                • avoiding perceived risks,<\/li>\n
                • focusing on short-term cost,<\/li>\n
                • lacking knowledge about available alternatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  Workshop discussions confirmed that many project teams do not yet know how to specify low-carbon concrete or assess its real impact.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Insights from the Climate Group \u2013 EIG Fireside Chat<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  The conversation between Marta Dawydzik (Climate Group)<\/strong> and Cristina Sendr\u00e1 (EIG)<\/strong> brought several key points:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • At Grupo Construc\u00eda<\/strong>, 99% of emissions come from Scope 3<\/strong>, with 97% linked to goods and services<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                  • The company approaches decarbonisation through a holistic lens<\/strong>:\n
                      \n
                    • circular design,<\/li>\n
                    • Cradle to Cradle Certified\u00ae materials,<\/li>\n
                    • and full life-cycle and impact cost assessment (LCSA) led by Eco Intelligent Growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                    • Transforming the built environment requires expanding the focus beyond concrete to include materials, processes, the supply chain, and business models.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                       <\/p>\n

                      A Market Beginning to Shift<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      The workshop also showcased emerging initiatives in Spain, such as ECOPact by Holcim<\/strong> and new industrial innovation programmes.
                      \nWhile the road ahead remains uncertain, it is increasingly clear that the transition brings significant opportunities for early movers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Concrete accounts for roughly 7% of global CO\u2082 emissions, making its decarbonisation essential to meeting climate goals. At the V Circular Construction Forum, The Climate Group presented ConcreteZero, a global [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[58,59,60,74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colaboracion-en","category-construccion-en","category-construccion-circular-en","category-eig"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8112"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8116,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112\/revisions\/8116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grupoconstrucia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}