New research from the University of California, Davis, and Stanford University has highlighted the potential of building materials to act as carbon sinks, capturing 1.66 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, equivalent to 50% of global human-caused emissions. The study identified nine types of carbon-storing building materials, including bio-based plastics, asphalt binders, and carbon-loaded concrete. While bio-based plastics show the highest carbon absorption potential by weight, concrete has the greatest storage potential due to its massive production volume. If 10% of the world’s concrete aggregates were carbonateable, it could store up to 1 billion tons of CO2. To achieve this potential, companies must produce these materials at scale, meeting performance and safety standards while being cost-effective. Experts suggest that governments and regulatory bodies introduce incentives, establish building codes, and set industry standards to support the transition to carbon-storing building materials and meet global net-zero goals.
One trillion pounds of CO2 emissions could be eliminated annually through the use of eco-friendly building materials.
