CEMEX has introduced the UK's first zero-carbon concrete block, designed to significantly lower carbon emissions within the built environment by reducing the impact of new build construction.
ReadyBlock Zero is a zero-carbon concrete block that comes with the residual CO2 offset to make it a CarbonNeutral product under The CarbonNeutral Protocol.
ReadyBlock Zero is part of CEMEX’s VERTUA family of low carbon and sustainable Urbanisation Solutions. It is available for projects across the UK, ahead of the Government’s Future Homes Standard – when all new homes must produce 75-80% fewer carbon emissions by 2025.
By June 2022, new build homes in the UK must reduce CO2 by around 30%. The introduction of ReadyBlock Zero represents an important and timely step for the industry ahead of new legislation and the Future Homes Standard.
The new CarbonNeutral block looks identical to a traditional concrete block, and the only difference is it embodies up to 80% less carbon, with the remaining carbon offset. ReadyBlock Zero offers housebuilders and developers the opportunity to build lower carbon developments without compromising product quality or strength. To do this, we are working with Natural Capital Partners, an award-winning expert on carbon neutrality and climate finance that harness the power of business to create a more sustainable world.
Carl Platt, urbanisation solutions director of asphalt, paving and building products for Europe, said: “We have developed the UK’s first CarbonNeutral concrete block to help housebuilders get ahead of the game when it comes to building low carbon homes that meet and exceed Government guidelines and changes to building regulations. We want to make life easier for housebuilders to make simple, sustainable choices that greatly impact the often complex road to Net Zero. Concrete blocks are the most common structural component in the construction of UK homes, so by switching to zero carbon blocks, ReadyBlock Zero presents a huge opportunity for housebuilders to make significant carbon reductions.”
CEMEX’s Climate Action strategy aims to lead the construction industry and has an overall global ambition of delivering net-zero carbon emissions in concrete by 2050. CEMEX Urbanisation Solutions is constantly innovating to provide customers with a broad range of sustainable solutions for the challenges of urbanisation, with a central focus at all times on the Future In Action strategy – committed to Net Zero CO2.
