ConcreteZero Global Policy Priorities, February 2026

Concrete production is responsible for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet progress on cutting emissions has largely stalled since 2015. This new policy report sets out six Global Policy Priorities designed to unlock the market for lower‑carbon and net zero concrete, addressing the systemic barriers currently holding back innovation, investment, and scale.

Drawing on expert analysis and insight from ConcreteZero members, the report highlights how outdated standards, risk‑averse procurement, and weak carbon price signals are preventing faster progress. It outlines where targeted policy reforms can reshape market conditions and accelerate the transition this decade.

In this report, you’ll find:

• The six priority policy interventions needed now: from performance‑based standards and better embodied‑carbon data to carbon limits and harmonised definitions.
• Evidence of the structural barriers slowing progress, including clinker‑centric standards and misaligned procurement frameworks.
• Why material innovation and clinker displacement offer the most immediate, cost‑effective emissions reductions and why policy must focus here before relying on carbon capture.
• A blueprint for governments, standards bodies and industry to work together to scale low‑carbon solutions and prevent another decade of stalled progress.

Together, these recommendations show how smart, coordinated policy action can transform the market for low‑carbon concrete and keep the sector on track for global net zero goals.

ConcreteZero 2025 Impact Report, October 2025

Three years on from its launch, this Impact Report reflects how ConcreteZero has grown into a global movement tackling the emissions from one of the world’s most carbon-intensive materials. With concrete responsible for around 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the report takes stock of progress to date, highlights member achievements, and sets out priorities for the next phase of action.

This report shows how demand-side leadership is helping to shift industry norms, strengthen accountability, and accelerate decarbonisation across the concrete value chain. It captures how companies that use, specify, and procure concrete are working together to send a clear market signal – influencing investment, standards, and policy worldwide.

In this report, you’ll find:

• Evidence of impact, including 4.7 million m³ of concrete reported by members between July 2023 and December 2024, covering more than 600 mix designs and 130 projects.
• Insights from member action, from mix optimisation and embodied carbon clauses in specifications to real-time carbon monitoring at project level.
• Progress on transparency and alignment, with 68% of members participating in the reporting pilot and ConcreteZero thresholds now aligned with global frameworks shaping policy and standards.
• A forward-looking agenda, outlining how ConcreteZero will support better definitions of low carbon concrete, more useful carbon data, cross-sector collaboration, and the scaling of new technologies.

Together, these insights show how collective action is reshaping the future of concrete – and how much more is possible as companies move faster and further to cut emissions.

ConcreteZero Specification Guidance: How the specification process can drive down emissions associated with concrete, April 2025

This guidance from ConcreteZero shows how the concrete specification process can be used to reduce embodied carbon in construction. A practical resource for anyone involved in specifying concrete, from developers and engineers to contractors and suppliers, it shares best practices, real-world case studies, and clear steps to support the successful use of lower carbon concrete and drive industry-wide collaboration.

In this report, you'll be able to find: 

• Practical guidance to help embed embodied carbon targets into concrete specifications, supported by real-world case studies.
• A clarification of key stakeholder roles and the information flows needed to drive effective collaboration.
• Insights and approaches developed by UK experts but relevant to projects across global markets.

Decarbonising the UK Concrete Industry: Closing the emissions gap report, October 2024

The Lower Carbon Concrete Group (LCCG) and ConcreteZero have released a scoping study that outlines solutions to decarbonize UK concrete production by the early to mid-2030s, addressing the "carbon gap"—the difference between current emissions and a Paris-aligned pathway to net zero. The report highlights "Goldilocks pathways" that balance existing best practices with technological innovations like near-zero carbon Portland cement, clinker-free concretes, and carbon capture technologies. Urgent, coordinated industry-wide action is essential to close this gap and scale these solutions.

Key Findings:

• Immediate action is required to rapidly progress and scale all potential concrete decarbonization levers to effectively close the carbon gap.
• The development of near zero carbon Portland cement, including reclaiming cement from demolition waste and implementing carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies, is essential for reducing emissions.
• Developing clinker-free concretes presents a promising avenue for achieving net zero emissions in concrete production while addressing the limitations of traditional materials.
  

The Steel and Concrete Transformation: 2024 market outlook on lower emission steel and concrete report, Sep 2024

This report, jointly published by Climate Group and Ramboll, reveals nearly half of companies surveyed globally are ready to pay a premium for lower emission steel and concrete. With steel and concrete production accounting for 15% of global emissions, their urgent decarbonisation is critical to achieving our climate goals and protecting our planet for generations to come.

Key highlights:

• Research indicates growing momentum for green corporate procurement.
• Respondents stated there were key barriers, such as cost, industry conservatism, and lack of knowledge, to green procurement which need to be overcome.
• Businesses were clear that governments have a significant role to play in supporting them, with financial levers, carbon pricing, and minimum product standards or embodied carbon limits among those seen as most critical.
• There are encouraging signs that businesses expect the transition towards lower emission materials to be inevitable, with 78% of respondents stating they expect lower emission steel and concrete will be standard materials for new products or projects within the next decade.
  

Classification methodology for embodied carbon of concrete, July 2024

This report summarises the three methods of assessing embodied carbon of concrete relevant for the UK construction sector. It shows how their benchmarks can be used in combination to effectively set policy for, specify, and assess embodied carbon of concrete. This is an especially timely note as the importance of accurate data to identify and tackle emissions for materials such as concrete gains greater focus.

The paper is endorsed by Infrastructure Client Group, UK Low Carbon Concrete Group, ConcreteZero, Green Construction Board, and Institute of Concrete Technology.