In early 2022 the CPCI Board of Directors launched a new initiative to develop a detailed roadmap for a decarbonized precast concrete industry by 2050. Five industry working groups were established, with the roadmap expected to be published by Fall/Winter 2022:
Benchmarking Work Group: This work group will develop a “carbon reductions worksheet” that shows the gross CO2 emissions today, identifies realistic assumptions for percentage improvements throughout the lifecycle of precast concrete (2030, 2040, and 2050) and identifies the remainder that may need to be achieved through carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies (CCUS).
Production Work Group: This work group will develop a plan to execute reductions at the precast concrete facilities. They will identify the opportunities that can currently be exploited at the plant level and they will also identify gaps in knowledge that need further research to achieve the 2030/2050 goals.
Design and Construction Work Group: This work group will develop a plan to execute reductions through design improvements that optimize or accelerate construction, and that ultimately reduce the related carbon emissions during the use phase of a structure. Examples of this in the precast sector include thermo-activation of hollowcore floors, total precast passive house, design for disassembly, and accelerated building construction (ABC).
Carbonation Work Group: This work group will investigate carbonation of precast concrete from cradle to cradle, and how this can be included in future precast concrete PCRs and EPDs. They will look at existing international models to identify opportunities and gaps for ‘recarbonation’ or ‘carbon-uptake’, how this might be optimized in the design of precast concrete.
Narrative and Communications Work Group: This work group will create the narrative that will be used to communicate the Precast Concrete 2030/2050 roadmap to the general public and the AEC community in Canada and abroad.