We commend Concrete New Zealand (CNZ) on launching a roadmap for the concrete industry to reduce its CO₂ emissions to zero by 2050. A Net-Zero Carbon Concrete Industry for Aotearoa New Zealand sets out the plan for how the industry will reach this goal. Our thinkstep-anz team worked with all involved in the industry value chain to develop a pragmatic strategy and wrote and designed the report.
Our CEO Barbara Nebel helped launch the roadmap and appreciated the efforts of the industry. ‘We have run a rigorous rule over the proposed strategies, so we could develop the roadmap as a realistic and achievable pathway forward,’ she says.
‘In fact, the industry has already started its decarbonisation journey, with an 11 percent reduction in CO2 emissions achieved between 2005 and 2018, even though ready mixed concrete use increased significantly during that time.
‘Based on this roadmap, the Aotearoa New Zealand concrete industry can achieve a 44 percent decrease from 2020 levels by 2030, and ultimately net zero carbon by 2050.’
Photo from the roadmap launch. L-R: Jennifer Taylor, Barbara Nebel, Hon James Shaw, Nick Traber, George Agriogiannis and Rob Gaimster
Concrete New Zealand (CNZ) chief executive Rob Gaimster says the roadmap is important for the concrete industry and the country’s built environment.
‘This roadmap represents a collective effort, combining the expertise, ingenuity, and commitment of the concrete industry and wider construction sector, to meeting our environmental responsibilities. It builds on global cement and concrete industry progress to achieve net zero carbon emissions which had been recognised by the United Nations.’
Diagram from the roadmap
11 August 2023