Governments at the state and local levels are working with companies to make greener construction choices, marking a win-win for the environment and businesses.
New York, New York City, Los Angeles, Michigan, and Washington, along with major cement producers, real estate companies, and tech giants like Amazon have all agreed to produce and use low-carbon cement in infrastructure, per a White House memo obtained by Politico's E&E News.Â
"The production of construction materials is a major source of pollution," the White House said in a statement. "These new commitments will advance the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to make U.S. manufacturing the cleanest and most competitive in the world, boosting U.S. economic competitiveness and creating good-paying jobs."
The plans so far include New York state vowing to reduce emissions by 30% by 2028, New York City beginning to require "environmental product declarations" for concrete and steel products, Los Angeles committing to a 15% emission reduction target, and an upcoming Washington state law to increase state purchases of clean construction materials.
Concrete is the world's most consumed material on earth after water, and has been used for thousands of years in construction and expansion of human civilization. But the material produces huge amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, primarily from its production process, which requires heating minerals in kilns typically powered by fossil fuels.
Thankfully, more and more breakthroughs in lower-carbon cement and building materials are being developed. In Europe, building material companies Heidelberg Materials and Metsä Wood have teamed up to create a concrete that actually absorbs carbon. And green materials supplier Holcim recently invested in Sublime Systems, which uses an electric manufacturing process to not just reduce but eliminate pollution from the cement making process.
All these developments are good for the economy as well as the environment. Ash Lauth, senior campaign strategist for cement at the nonprofit Industrious Labs, told Politico that "green cement" is expected to pass $47 billion by 2028, a 57 percent increase over 2023 investment levels.
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