Concrete Corner - The CarbonCure Blog | CarbonCure Technologies

Embodied Carbon Progress: Driving Collaboration on Low-Carbon Building Materials

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All things being equal, would you pay a premium of $1 per cubic yard for low-carbon concrete if it guarantees a 3-5% reduction in GHG emissions?*

Yes

Scenario: Imagine a $100M project with 100,000 cubic yards of materials. The low-carbon concrete costs an extra $100,000 but reduces GHGs by 5%. Below are potential financial incentives that could make this investment more attractive.*

Please rank these incentives from most (1) to least likely (4) to influence your decision to pay a premium for low-carbon materials.

Are there any other financial incentives or benefits that would make you more willing to pay a premium for low-carbon materials?

Which of the following tactics would most effectively encourage procurement to support low-carbon materials? (Select up to 2)*

Scenario: In many organizations, the procurement team’s focus is low cost, while the sustainability team’s focus is low carbon. Often sustainability teams have limited budgets, so ideally, procurement would dedicate part of its budget to support sustainable choices. Below are several tactics we’ve heard that could help align these two priorities.

Develop a total cost of ownership (TCO) model: Quantifies the long-term financial benefits of low-carbon options vs. traditional materials, including operational savings, energy efficiency, maintenance reduction, and potential risk mitigation.

Introduce a weighted procurement scorecard: Balances cost and sustainability by giving weight to carbon reduction in procurement decisions. (e.g. 50% weight on cost, 30% on carbon reduction, 20% on alignment with corporate sustainability goals)

Create shared KPIs and incentives: Aligns procurement and sustainability success through shared performance targets and incentives, such as bonuses for meeting sustainability goals (e.g., percentage of suppliers meeting sustainability criteria).

Implement an internal carbon pricing mechanism: Assigns a monetary value to carbon emissions, making low-carbon options more financially attractive by incorporating the environmental cost into procurement decisions. (e.g., $50 per ton of CO2)

Host joint communication and education initiatives: Facilitates workshops where procurement and sustainability teams can share priorities, challenges, and success stories. Provide case studies of companies that have successfully aligned procurement with sustainability goals, and create resources that outline the financial rationale for sustainable choices, making it easier for procurement to advocate internally.

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Thank you for your help shaping the future of sustainable construction and reduce embodied carbon!