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Making concrete sustainable through recycled materials
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Making concrete sustainable through recycled materials
20 August 2024
Concrete's high carbon footprint and resource use drive innovations like rebetong, a recycled concrete that reduces waste and improves sustainability, despite challenges in curing and material quality.
Editorial Team
Concrete's environmental impact is profound, contributing to 8% of global CO2 emissions and consuming extensive resources.
With construction accounting for 37% of global emissions and 30% of total waste, efforts to reduce this footprint are critical. Innovations like recycled concrete, or rebetong, aim to mitigate this impact.
Skanska's rebetong, tested in Prague's renovation of a 19th-century sugar factory, replaces traditional aggregates with upcycled materials, offering better insulation and reduced landfill use.
Despite challenges like slower curing in cold weather and quality of recycled debris, rebetong represents a significant step toward sustainable construction, aligning with broader goals for a circular economy.
