evoBuild low-carbon concrete

First published in the December 2024 issue of Quarry Management

Setting new standards for sustainable building materials

Heidelberg Materials have taken another step towards circularity and decarbonization with the introduction of evoBuild, the company’s global brand for low-carbon and circular products.

evoBuild sets new standards for sustainable building materials and will help Heidelberg Materials reach their target of generating 50% of their global revenue through sustainable products by 2030.

UK concrete managing director Gordon Napier explained: ‘We are constantly looking to develop innovative materials that meet the highest quality standards over their entire lifecycle and are produced using environmentally – as well as socially – responsible methods.

‘Through resource efficiency, co-processing of waste materials, and concrete recycling, we can actively drive the circular economy within our industry.’

All evoBuild products have clear sustainability credentials: they are either low carbon, circular, or both. Each product in the range must meet strict criteria, which are clearly defined within the company’s internal environmental, social and governance (ESG) procedure.

Low-carbon products must provide a CO2 reduction of at least 30% compared with global reference values from the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA)¹.

Circular products must either contain a minimum 30% recycled content or use at least 30% less material. These evoBuild standards will apply to products in cement, ready-mixed concrete, aggregates, and asphalt, and all UK sustainable products will be integrated into the evoBuild portfolio over the next few years.

The first evoBuild products introduced in the UK are a range of low-carbon concretes, which make it easier for customers to specify more sustainable construction materials that target carbon reduction on their projects.

There are three evoBuild low-carbon concretes in the current range:

• evoBuild low-carbon concrete 30 – available from C20/25 grade strength and reduces CO2 by 30% compared with the GCCA reference value

• evoBuild low-carbon concrete 40 – available from C25/30 grade strength and reduces CO2 by 40% compared with the GCCA reference value

• evoBuild low-carbon concrete 50 – available from C32/40 grade strength and reduces CO2 by 50% compared with the GCCA reference value.

‘All of our evoBuild low-carbon concrete mixes offer high quality and reliability but with the benefit of significantly reducing CO2 emissions,’ added Mr Napier.

‘Last year we became the first heavy building materials manufacturer in the UK to reach the updated PAS 2080:2023 standard and we are committed to providing our customers with the information they need to make informed decisions regarding carbon reduction.

‘As a result, we can provide gross and net values of indicative global warming potential (GWP) in kg/CO2/m3 for modules A1-A3 at quotation stage for each evoBuild low-carbon concrete mix, as well as a post-delivery carbon scorecard to allow the total carbon contribution of the concrete to the build to be tracked.’

Key benefits of evoBuild low-carbon concrete:

• Reduces the CO2 emissions associated with concrete by at least 30% compared with GCCA reference value

• Verified indicative global warming potential (GWP) values provided for each mix

• Easy to use and place

• Suitable for all applications

• Complies with BS 8500 and BS EN 206-1

• Creates concrete with a lighter aesthetic

• Available nationwide from Heidelberg Materials’ network of static and mobile ready-mixed concrete plants

• 100% recyclable at the end of its life, contributing to the circular economy.

FOOTNOTE

1. The evoBuild reference value is at least 30% CO2 reduction vs the global reference values from the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) for CEM I from 2020, which translates to ≤552kg CO2/tonne cementitious material and ≤5.5kg CO2/m3/MPa for ready-mixed concrete.

evoBuild low-carbon concrete in practice

evoBuild low-carbon concrete is available nationwide from Heidelberg Materials’ network of static and mobile ready-mixed concrete plants.

The product was used by BAM Nuttall on behalf of Network Rail to deliver coastal protection works at Marine Parade, in Dawlish, Devon. The existing sea defence along this stretch of coastline had been eroding to the point of failure, threatening to cut off the only railway line into the south-west of England.

Around 8,500m3 of evoBuild low-carbon concrete was used in the project, reducing the carbon emissions associated with the concrete by two-thirds and saving more than 1,130 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in comparison with traditional concrete.

Jack Brookes, site agent with BAM Nuttall, said: ‘We identified Heidelberg Material’s lower-carbon concrete as an innovative product that could help us reduce our carbon impact by two-thirds while retaining the strength of traditional concrete.’

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