First employed by the Romans, concrete is a sustainable and versatile construction material which can produce structures that last for hundreds of years.  The benefit concrete provides in terms of its strength, durability, resilience, safety and affordability is vital in providing not only the places in which we live and work, but also the infrastructure to support our clean energy development. This makes concrete a critical element in the transition towards global sustainable development.

Currently, concrete is the most used manufactured material in the world. This widespread use of concrete comes with an environmental cost associated with both the extraction of raw materials and manufacturing processes. With increasing population and urbanisation, the demand for construction materials continues to grow. In response to concerns about climate change, resource depletion, and waste generation, the construction industry is implementing more sustainable practices and materials in concrete construction. These aim to reduce the environmental impact of concrete production in areas such as lowering resource consumption, waste reduction and extending the service life of structures.

The Irish Concrete Society is committed to supporting these efforts.

As a science and engineering based organisation, the Society provides technical education to inform professionals from across the construction industry of practical means to improve the environmental and sustainable performance of concrete construction. Details of our seminar and courses can be found in our Education and Technical Seminar pages

The Society also collaborates with other organisations such as Engineers Ireland and The Institute of Concrete Technology in developing seminars on sustainability topics.

The use of concrete in a sustainable context is acknowledged by the Society through Special Recognition in our Annual Awards.

Internationally, members of the Global Cement and Concrete Association have committed to achieving carbon neutral concrete by 2050. Information on the roadmap to achieve this goal and progress to date can be found here.