A Strategic Owner’s Guide to Lower Carbon Concrete

Most of concrete’s carbon impact comes from the cement inside the mix. Reducing that impact typically involves replacing part of the cement or improving how cement and concrete are produced.

Well established approaches include supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash and slag. These swaps can lower carbon without significantly changing how concrete performs in the field. CO₂ injection (for example, CarbonCure and similar technologies) is also being used on projects, where captured CO₂ is introduced during batching and becomes mineralized in the concrete.

Alongside these strategies, the industry is seeing rapid growth in lower carbon concrete innovations. While there are now dozens of emerging options available to project teams, common examples include higher percentage SCM blends, biochar additions and calcined supplementary materials produced through novel cement processes. Each of these approaches benefits from targeted testing before broader use.

Owners have significant influence on embodied carbon outcomes, especially in the earliest phases of a project. Two early actions create the strongest foundation for a low -carbon strategy.

First, work with your design team to set performance-based specifications that include both structural requirements and a maximum emissions threshold for each mix. This approach keeps competition open: suppliers can determine the best combination of SCMs, CO₂ injection technologies and emerging solutions available in their region. Because concrete ingredients and supply chains vary geographically, this flexibility ensures the project can leverage the most effective low carbon options without restricting supplier participation.

Second, conduct an early-stage lifecycle assessment to understand which materials drive most of the project’s embodied carbon. On many DPR projects, these assessments show that concrete alone accounts for roughly 25–30% of material emissions, making it one of the most effective places to focus reduction efforts from the start.

From a construction standpoint, low carbon concrete follows the same testing and quality control process as conventional mixes. Ready mix suppliers still pour trial samples, test strength in the lab and verify performance before placing production concrete. When newer ingredients are involved, additional validation may be required to understand how a mix sets, finishes and handles in real conditions.

Mockups become especially valuable when trying truly new mixes. They allow field crews to observe how the concrete behaves, provide real-time feedback and work with the ready-mix supplier as the formula is refined until performance is consistent.

DPR’s self-perform concrete crews add another advantage. Because they already understand low carbon options and how finish, color and cure can vary, their early involvement helps identify practical considerations and ensure the final mix aligns with project expectations.

Owners can often achieve about 10–20% reductions with no added cost when using familiar strategies like SCMs and CO₂ injection. More advanced materials require validation, but the risks are manageable when teams follow a structured testing process and bring the right field and supplier expertise to the table.

With the right planning and a performance‑based approach, owners can deliver lower‑carbon outcomes across a wide range of project types. Engage your team early, ask for performance‑based specifications that include emissions thresholds, and partner with builders who can connect design, analysis, suppliers, and field crews, so you can make confident, high‑impact reductions that support your sustainability objectives.

Marshall Andrews, Northwest sustainability leader at DPR Construction, brings more than 15 years of experience developing LEED ROI tools, leading LEED and TRUE AP training, and advancing zero‑waste, electrification and carbon‑accounting programs.