The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has unveiled the world’s first Low Carbon Ratings (LCR) system for the cement and concrete industries, establishing a global standard to assess the carbon footprint of the building materials.
According to the GCCA, the new LCR system will enable customers to ‘prioritise sustainability when selecting construction materials by using a clear and intuitive AA to G scale’, similar to that used in household energy efficiency labelling.
Sustainable construction
“Cement and concrete are the foundations of modern life – from the buildings we live and work in, to the roads we travel, and the infrastructure that supports clean water and green energy,” commented Thomas Guillot, chief executive of the GCCA. “As global demand for sustainable construction grows, the need for greater transparency around the carbon footprint of construction materials is more critical than ever.
“Our Low Carbon Ratings system supports more sustainable procurement practices and will empower the entire value chain to accelerate decarbonisation.”
Ratings system
The ratings system – backed by a simple, visual graphic – will support architects, engineers, builders, and policymakers in making more informed decisions by identifying materials with lower carbon emissions.
It has been designed to be used with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are third-party verified, and uses standardised units of embodied CO₂ equivalent per tonne for cement and per cubic metre for concrete (ECO₂e/m³).
This aligns with definitions set out by the International Energy Agency and the GCCA’s own 2050 Net Zero Roadmap.
“With this rating system in place, governments, policymakers and the private sector can now prioritise lower carbon cement and concrete in the procurement process which will in turn further stimulate the industry’s focus on decarbonising these essential building materials,” Guillot added.
Elsewhere, Riccardo Savigliano of UNIDO hailed the system as a “huge step forward towards harmonising global definitions for low emission cement and concrete in the support of decarbonisation.” Read more here.
