Second Concrete Industry Sustainability Report Highlights Progress

The New Zealand cement and concrete industry has released its second Sustainability Report, showcasing an ongoing commitment to reducing emissions and enhancing sustainability.

Building on the 2021-2022 baseline report, the 2023 report provides a comprehensive update on progress, highlights concrete’s essential role in a sustainable future, and outlines industry strategies for achieving climate targets.

Concrete: Material for a Resilient Future
The 2023 Sustainability Report highlights how concrete will continue to play a crucial role in New Zealand’s built environment. Offering unmatched benefits for resilient buildings, infrastructure, and vital systems like clean water, renewable energy, and housing, concrete will be critical in enabling a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

Expanding the Sustainability Dataset
Including data from businesses representing 78% of the ready mixed concrete market by volume, the report offers greater coverage than the previous report. For the first time, reinforcement processors are also included in the dataset.

This expansion reflects the growing interest and participation in sustainability reporting across the industry, providing a clearer picture of sector-wide progress.

Key Indicators Demonstrate Progress
The report tracks multiple indicators of industry performance against the 2021-2022 baseline, showing steady improvements in several areas:

• Steady progress on decarbonisation:
  • Direct and electricity-related emissions down 6% from 2020 baseline.
  • Replacement of Portland cement with Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) increased by 48% nation-wide.
  • Infrastructure in place to deliver rapid growth on SCM uptake.
  • Local cement production facility increased their uptake of alternative fuels again (now 56%).
  • All cement suppliers underwent intense product development to reduce their clinker factor while maintaining product quality.
• Future-proofing focus for health and safety.
• New reporting on reinforcing steel processors.

Track Record of Accountability
By comparing 2023 data to 2021-2022, the 2023 Sustainability Report initiates a time series that will enable companies to track their progress and refine their sustainability strategies over time.

The growing volume of data shared by industry members also underscores the collective determination to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future.

Built on a Net-Zero Carbon Roadmap
Concrete NZ’s 2023 Sustainability Report series is closely aligned the emissions focussed A Net-Zero Carbon Concrete Industry for Aotearoa New Zealand: Roadmap to 2050, launched in 2023, which describes an achievable pathway to producing net-zero concrete by 2050. Key targets include:

• A 44% reduction in direct and electricity-related CO₂ emissions by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline.
• Achieving net-zero carbon for cement production and concrete batching by 2050.

The 2050 Roadmap identifies seven focus areas for decarbonisation: clinker production, cement and binders, concrete manufacturing, design and construction practices, electricity usage, carbon uptake, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS).

Concrete NZ is actively supporting these efforts, including the launch of a 2024 research initiative with the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and BRANZ. This Transformation Project seeks to develop frameworks to enable widespread decarbonisation across the supply chain.

Call to Action for Collaboration
Achieving net-zero carbon emissions for the cement and concrete industry will require collaboration across the value chain. Concrete NZ is calling on stakeholders, including designers, engineers, contractors, regulators, and researchers, to support the industry’s efforts by adopting innovative practices, contributing to decarbonisation research, and helping establish enabling conditions for progress.

Looking Ahead
The 2023 Sustainability Report reaffirms the New Zealand cement and concrete industry’s leadership in sustainability, its commitment to continuous improvement, and its crucial role in building a more resilient and low-carbon future.

As industry works toward its 2030 and 2050 targets, the progress documented in the report provides a solid foundation for ongoing innovation and collaboration.

Concrete NZ looks forward to building on this momentum, supporting its members in their sustainability journeys, and advancing its shared vision of a sustainable, resilient, and prosperous Aotearoa New Zealand.