Sustainability Series
Week 2: Specifying low carbon concrete
Welcome to Week 2
Lower carbon concrete is becoming an increasingly important consideration in the design and construction of buildings and infrastructure. Designers and specifiers can achieve reductions through material selection, efficient design and appropriate specification, whilst still meeting all the other performance requirements for that project. This week we will be focusing on how to specify lower carbon concrete. We have two fantastic webinars planned.
The main event is a panel discussion, where members of the MPA team (including myself!) will discuss ‘how’ to achieve lower carbon concrete. We will be touching on concrete’s constituent materials, whole life cycle considerations, current standards, and tools and guidance that exist to help specifiers on this journey. It will be well worth a listen to understand the current landscape relating to these themes. Register here.
In addition, Gareth Wake, Director for the British Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, will give a separate briefing on the upcoming changes to how carbon classification will be implemented through the British Standard, BS 8500. Register here.
For further guidance on specifying low carbon concrete, I have highlighted some key resources that can be found on The Concrete Centre’s website below. Hope you enjoy the week!
Liam Forde, Head of Construction and Infrastructure, MPA Concrete
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Where do I start with specifying lower carbon? (Webinar)
Date: Thursday 01 October 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Online
Reducing embodied carbon is now a key consideration for many projects, but knowing where to start can be challenging. With a growing range of lower carbon concrete solutions emerging, specifiers are often faced with questions around availability, performance, standards and project suitability.
Join our expert panel as they tackle some of the most common questions being asked by the industry today. From the use of GGBS and calcined clay to the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS), we'll explore what these developments mean in practice and how they can be considered within today's design and specification process.
Whether you're new to specifying lower carbon concretes or looking to stay up to date with the latest developments, this interactive session will provide practical insights to help inform your next project.
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Carbon classifications and alignment with BS 8500 and EN206-1:2026 (Webinar)
Date: Tuesday 29 September 2026
Time: 13:00 - 13:30
Venue: Online
This short webinar Gareth Wake, Director of the British Ready-mixed Concrete Association, will guide delegates through the upcoming changes on standards for concrete with regards to carbon classification and how these may be implemented in the UK through the British Standard, BS 8500.
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Spotlight on: Achieving lower carbon concrete
There is no single way to specify lower carbon concrete. A balanced approach is needed, taking account of embodied carbon alongside structural performance, availability, programme requirements and whole-life outcomes. The Concrete Centre’s Concrete Compass on lower carbon concrete outlines these key considerations.
One way to reduce the carbon intensity of concrete is to use supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), which can partially replace Portland cement in different proportions. The most established SCMs are ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash. A recent Concrete Quarterly article explains how to use GGBS efficiently in projects. BS 8500 also allows other SCMs, including limestone fines and calcined clays. These materials vary in their properties, carbon intensities, and maximum and optimum cement replacement levels. The Spring 2026 issue of Concrete Futures will help specifiers understand how low-carbon concretes can be achieved using these materials.
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Spotlight on: Understanding embodied carbon of concrete
Interest in using lower carbon concrete continues to grow, but identifying the most suitable route can be challenging. The most effective approach is to work closely with the concrete supplier and include an achievable embodied carbon performance rating within the specification. The Concrete Centre’s Specifying Sustainable Concrete: Embodied Carbon guide explains this process and outlines the current classification schemes that can be included in a specification, and this week’s bitesize webinar will explain upcoming changes to this.
Accurate data is essential for life cycle assessments of concrete structures. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) can provide embodied carbon data at different stages of project development. EPDs offer comparable, transparent information on the environmental impacts of construction products and, when registered through a recognised EPD programme, are independently verified. Further information on EPDs is available here.
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Spotlight on: Tools and guidance to help specify lower carbon concrete
Choosing the lowest carbon concrete for a project can be challenging. To support specifiers, The Concrete Centre has developed the TCC-BS8500 tool, an Excel-based program that allows users to enter concrete performance requirements. The tool then identifies the limiting values and combined performance categories that meet those requirements. It also provides indicative carbon values by using the limiting values and permitted cement types to calculate absolute carbon figures and compare them with either the Universal Classification (Arup-Innovate UK) or the GCCA classification scheme.
Guidance is available from several resources, including the recently updated National Structural Concrete Specification (NSCS) v5, now provided as an online tool and revised to reflect the latest sustainability advice for concrete specification and use. The Concrete Centre has also updated its Specifying Sustainable Concrete series, which is divided into individual topics and offers current industry guidance.