The UK has become the first country to include a country-specific estimate of CO2 absorbed by concrete in its National Inventory Document submitted to the UN. The new entry shows concrete assets in the UK absorbed 1.48 Mt CO2 in 2024, equal to 29 percent of process emissions from cement used in the country. Carbonation is the natural process where concrete reabsorbs CO2 over its lifetime, making buildings and infrastructure a long term carbon sink. The inclusion is a notable step for emissions accounting accuracy for cement and concrete. It sets a precedent for other countries and future international reporting rules. However, the industry still needs to cut production emissions through fuel switching, low carbon cements, and carbon capture. Carbonation is additional to that effort, not a replacement.
