Climate Action 

ECOPact is the world’s broadest range of low-carbon concrete that delivers 100% performance offering at least 30% lower CO2 emissions compared to Ordinary Portland concrete¹.

Holcim’s ECOPact ready-mix concrete product is a sustainable construction solution designed to meet the demands of modern construction while reducing environmental impact. With a focus on embodied carbon reduction, environmental transparency, and emissions reduction targets, ECOPact is setting a new standard for responsible construction materials.

Do you need low carbon concrete or actually a low carbon structure? The ultimate aim is a low embodied carbon structure or project. A holistic life cycle approach should always be taken. 

High strength concrete generally has a higher embodied carbon impact than ordinary concrete, however, in some cases, it may result in less volume of concrete used and a lower total overall embodied carbon impact for the building structure. Early involvement with structural engineers and life cycle professionals is key to exploring potential opportunities.

DYNAMax is a high strength concrete that combines traditional strength, performance and quality properties with technical, innovation and service solutions to help you dematerialise your project. When you choose DYNAMax, you get a team of technical experts and a comprehensive service backed by Holcim’s global experience in getting the job done.

With less material needed, DYNAMax has the capability to help you achieve your sustainability goals.

Humes FutureCast precast concrete is a construction solution designed to meet the demands of modern construction. With a focus on environmental transparency, FutureCast is setting a new standard for responsible construction materials.

The carbon intensity of precast concrete can be reduced by replacing the standard cement with alternative materials. These include industrial by-products such as fly ash or blast furnace slag. FutureCast produced by our Humes division offers a minimum of 25% Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM), which can help to reduce the impact of building and infrastructure construction projects.

FutureCast comes with a product-specific EPD that provides transparent information about the environmental impact of the product, enabling informed decision-making during project planning and design stages.FutureCast is manufactured throughout Australia and has the potential to be used in a variety of structural components – including stormwater, bridges, tunnels, walls, roads, infrastructure, and rail.

EPD stands for Environmental Product Declaration: it is an independently verified document that communicates a product’s environmental impact. An EPD can include up to 53 indicators across a product's entire life cycle, ranging from carbon footprint to energy consumption and waste generation. It is the equivalent of a nutrition facts label for construction materials.

Backing products like ECOPact low-carbon concrete with EPDs, construction industry specifiers – from government to contractors to homeowners – have full visibility on the composition and performance of sustainable building solutions. EPDs provide transparent, reliable product information that helps fuel demand for low-carbon alternatives.

Holcim has received certification from Climate Active to offer customers an option for a Climate Active Carbon Offsetting service, allowing projects to offset the remaining carbon while also supporting investment in carbon offsetting projects.
Climate Active is an Australian Government program that supports national climate policy by driving voluntary climate action among Australian businesses.

Our digital solutions extend the sustainability performance of our products:

SMARTFlow - an industry-first digital modelling tool that determines the pumpability and flowability of concrete for even the most challenging builds.

SMARTCast - provides real-time monitoring of concrete strength and temperature.

SMARTherm - digital simulation to help with reliable curing without defects – allowing you to simulate the temperature of large concrete elements.

More and more people are choosing to live in Australia's urban centres. In large cities, average temperatures can be 1°C to 3°C higher than average rural temperatures. This is typically referred to as urban heat island effect. 

The Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) is a measure of the solar reflectance and emissivity of materials that can be used as an indicator of how hot they are likely to become when exposed to the sun. Solar reflectance is the ability of a material to reflect solar energy from its surface back into the atmosphere.

By choosing high-SRI materials, architects and builders can help significantly reduce energy consumption, enhance indoor comfort, and contribute to a cooler, greener urban environment.

In collaboration with the University of New South Wales, Holcim has undertaken Solar Reflective Index testing on its Geostone® Range for metropolitan regions.

Architects now strive to create spaces that minimise the use of artificial lighting in favour of natural light, all with an emphasis on energy efficiency. To achieve this, they aim to attain the highest possible Light Reflectance Value (LRV) for the project as a whole. The higher the LRV, the more it reflects light, while the lower it is, the more it absorbs light.

Overall, lighter-colours surfaces with a higher LRV help reflect heat and assist with reducing the amount of lights required in comparison to lower LRV surfaces. Holcim  in collaboration with a National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited organisation has undertaken LRV testing on its Geostone™ range for metropolitan regions.