Could Canada’s infrastructure dollars jump-start low-carbon concrete?

What happened: Building Canada’s major infrastructure projects with low-carbon concrete can cut emissions and boost the economy at the same time, according to a new report from the Pembina Institute.

The details: Governments already buy nearly one-third of concrete in Canada. If provinces align with the existing federal standards on embodied emissions - which requires a 10% reduction in concrete emissions for federal projects - and adopt performance-based standards, they can unlock cleaner materials at scale without rewriting the rulebook.

Why it matters: Lower-carbon concrete is a high-leverage climate opportunity hiding in plain sight. Concrete is the world’s second most-used material and the backbone of modern infrastructure, supporting more than 166,000 jobs and $76B in annual economic activity nationwide.

But it also has a huge climate impact, making up ~7% of global emissions and 1.5% of Canada’s total. Cement production requires crushing and heating limestone at extremely high temperatures, using large amounts of energy and emitting nearly one tonne of CO2 per tonne produced.

Low-carbon alternatives deliver the same (or better) performance by reducing cement content, using new binders, or curing concrete with injected CO2 that is permanently stored.

Performance-based standards and procurement would allow Canadian startups and suppliers to compete on results - strength, durability, and carbon - rather than being locked out by prescriptive requirements.

What’s different this time: The supply side is starting to catch up as Canadian climate builders bring low-carbon concrete from the lab to market.

• Nova Scotia’s alterBiota started commercializing its biochar cement replacement, delivering 10-22% reductions in embodied carbon

• Calgary’s Carbon Upcycling broke ground this summer on a commercial facility to turn industrial byproducts into low-carbon cement

• New entrant CURA closed a pre-seed investment to develop an electrochemical process for producing cement with up to 85% less emission

Carbon pricing, trading frameworks like the EU’s CBAM, and sector-level targets are starting to drive demand in Europe, North America and Asia.

Strategic advantage: Government procurement wouldn’t just avoid emissions in major infrastructure projects, but also kickstart exportable, advanced industrial capabilities.

Concrete buyers are typically risk averse and price-constrained, with little incentive to spend money and effort adopting new materials. Government demand can tip the scales, proving Canadian solutions at home and then helping them compete abroad.

The UK Is already moving, launching an Advance Market Commitment to catalyze low-carbon concrete production.

The bottom line: With the right procurement signals, Canada can cut infrastructure emissions while building an advanced materials industry positioned for a fast-growing global market.

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