Introducing Greenbloc – lowering the carbon footprint of concrete
Our Greenbloc range of low or ultra-low carbon concrete blocks offer significant carbon savings compared with using OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement).
In 2021 we launched Greenbloc Ultra which was the UK’s first cement free ultra-low carbon dense carbon block, offering carbon savings of up to 80%.
In 2022 we were able to reduce the amount of carbon in our standard blocks by 35% using Greenbloc technology and now in 2023, have been able to go even further and achieve savings of up to 50% at no additional cost to our customers.
There are three grades of Greenbloc:
Greenbloc standard (up to 50% carbon reduction)
Greenbloc Premium (up to 70% carbon saving)
Greenbloc Ultra (up to 80% carbon saving)
Reducing your emissions one block at a time
The necessity to limit global warming to no more than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels has been well documented and publicised. The science could not be any clearer. The world has to reduce CO2 emissions to as close to zero as possible by the middle of this century.
The UK Government has committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and every business, organisation and individual has a part to play in achieving this.
Concrete is the most used material on the planet and as a consequence is a significant contributor of CO2. Up to 90% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with concrete are in the cement*. As a building material, concrete cannot be matched.
But as the world’s third highest source of man-made CO2, greener options have become of even greater importance.
As a major precast concrete manufacturer we recognise the contribution we can make to help our customers lower their carbon footprint and this is now our major driver within the business.
* Source: Low Carbon Concrete Group
Our vision
Our aim is simple. We are committed to enhancing sustainability and reducing the environmental impact in the construction sector. We continue to develop our sustainable product range and since January 2022 every product we manufacture is now available in an ultra-low carbon concrete option.
The market is changing and understands the need to acknowledge, address and action a tangible approach to decarbonisation. We want to give architects, contractors and specifiers the choice of using an ultra-low carbon alternative to precast cementitious products.
We are changing the way the built environment specify precast concrete, and are helping to address the need for our industry to decarbonise at a rapid pace.
Finding alternatives to Ordinary Portland Cement
Concrete is made up of aggregates, water, cement and air. Of these four ingredients, aggregates make up the largest amount of volume and fortunately are low in embodied carbon.
However, cement has the highest embodied CO2, and this is where the focus has been to find alternatives to OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement), to reduce the carbon footprint of this important building material.
Reducing our carbon footprint in construction can be achieved in various ways, whether that be in using cement-free options, by partial CEM 1 replacement or considering different reinforcement solutions.
Currently, within British standards there are a number of ways to reduce embodied carbon by reducing the percentage of clinker in a mix. The use of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) for example, instead of clinker, can have a significant effect on lowering embodied carbon. CEM III/B contains up to 80% GGBS and has a 73% lower embodied carbon than Portland Cement (CEM I).
