ConcreteZero: Our New Low Carbon Commitments

In July this year, we became signatories to ConcreteZero: an industry initiative driven by the Climate Group together with World GBC and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The Climate Group’s mission is to drive climate change as quickly as possible, focusing on systems with the highest emissions in the following target sectors: energy, transport, the built environment and food.  

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ConcreteZero

ConcreteZero brings together leading businesses from across the value chain to create a global market for net zero concrete. Other signatories of ZeroConcrete include Landsec, Mace, Multiplex, Lendlease, Skanska, Robert Bird Group, Walsh, Buro Happold, WSP UK, Carey Group, Byrne Bros, and Kilnbridge to name a few.  

Each member of ConcreteZero has committed to procuring 30% ‘low emission’ concrete on all projects by 2025, and 50% by 2030. “As organisations with the ability to effect real change, we must all think to the future in the way we design, build and operate our built assets," commented Kamran Moazami, Managing Director for Property and Buildings at WSP. "We must move quicker to address the built environment’s contribution to GHG emissions as climate change is already impacting the way we live and will only accelerate.”

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At Morrisroe, we are very proud to be a founding member of ConcreteZero. We understand that decarbonising construction, and in particular the concrete sector, is a massive challenge that will require sustained effort and collaboration. We are fully committed to embracing our corporate responsibility and are very excited to be part of this initiative and support this huge step towards achieving Net Zero.

Dan Bannister, Group HSSQ Director at Morrisroe Group

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Our Low Carbon Concrete Efforts

This is a fast-developing area. We liaise closely with our concrete suppliers to stay on top of research and developments in relation to low carbon concrete and are often required to use concrete mixes with a high percentage of cement replacement, such as GGBS which is a by-product from the iron and steel industry. Other low carbon options include geopolymer concrete which can be considered for permanent works concrete elements that are subject to low levels of stress, such as bearing piles and secant piles.  

Two of our recent projects have notably used low carbon solutions. For Ruskin Square - a building designed for the Home Office with ambitious environmental aspirations - we used a 70 to 75% GGBS concrete mix in the foundation, slabs and floorplates. This achieved embodied carbon reductions and supported our client's BREEAM excellent rating ambitions.

Similarly, for the ongoing regeneration of Elephant and Castle Town Centre, we have aimed for a target of 45% of cement replacement across all concrete elements by using 65% GGBS in the ground.