GOLDBECK Blue Concrete: On our way to net zero
Concrete ranks among the building materials that are currently receiving the most criticism. But is this justified? In part. One tonne of conventional concrete causes around 80 kilograms of CO₂ – far from negligible, yet a relatively low figure compared to other materials such as plastics or animal products. Its high carbon footprint – studies suggest that it accounts for around 8 percent of global emissions – is due to the frequency of its use: Concrete is one of the most widely used material resources in the world, second only to water. We have been building with concrete for over a thousand years and owe a large part of our prosperity to it. And there is good reason for this: The material is robust, durable and can be shaped into almost any form, enabling us to create buildings that are not only affordable and functional, but also aesthetically pleasing. Our new Blue Concrete now proves that this does not have to be at the expense of environmental sustainability.
“With GOLDBECK Blue Concrete, we have created a product that already emits 35 percent less CO₂ than conventional concrete.“
Improve carbon footprint
In the 2023/24 financial year, GOLDBECK produced around one million tonnes of concrete for the construction of 510 buildings. That’s a huge amount of potential for improving our own carbon footprint as well as that of our customers. It was with this goal in mind that a team of innovation managers, construction materials experts and production specialists got to work last year. The preliminary result: CO₂ savings of more than 35 percent compared to the industry average reported by the Concrete Sustainability Council – all without compromising on quality and at no extra cost. The main factors that were optimised were the material composition, the production process and the component design.
“We believe that concrete has great potential for innovation, and we’re determined to produce precast concrete elements with net zero emissions by the 2030s.”
The future of concrete: the next steps
This new Blue Concrete was piloted at the GOLDBECK plant in Hamm, where it is now used to produce all precast concrete elements. Step by step, the new formulations and technologies will also be implemented at the other GOLDBECK plants. But the work on Blue Concrete is not done yet: By 2025, the Hamm plant will be home to a Concrete Innovation Centre, where we will identify and pilot further possibilities for resource conservation and decarbonisation.
After all, we have set ourselves an ambitious goal: to produce precast concrete elements with net zero emissions by the 2030s.
The GOLDBECK Concrete Innovation Centre
Three questions for ...
… Sebastian Tschöpe, plant manager in Hamm
As part of our Sustainability Report 2024, we asked the plant manager in Hamm three specific questions about the GOLDBECK Concrete Innovation Centre. Where is the journey going? Find out more here.