Four Priority Low-Carbon Concrete Initiatives for FHWA LCTM Applications

The guide outlines four strategic initiatives for state DOTs to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete infrastructure: integrating Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) into procurement, adjusting material specifications to allow higher supplementary cementitious material (SCM) content, demonstrating Performance Engineered Mixture (PEM) designs, and piloting innovative near-zero or zero-emissions materials.

• The first priority initiative focuses on integrating Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) into procurement to build capacity for agencies, contractors, and suppliers to use GWP data for material selection and benchmarking.
• The second initiative recommends updating material specifications to reduce emissions, specifically by removing portland cement minimums and increasing SCM replacement limits to between 50% and 80%.
• The third initiative proposes Performance Engineered Mixture (PEM) demonstration projects to move beyond prescriptive designs, focusing on durability and strength while utilizing alternative contracting methods to manage risk.
• The fourth initiative targets the validation of emerging low-carbon technologies, including alternative SCMs like calcined clay and limestone calcined clay (LC3), as well as alternative cements such as belite-rich or bio-based cements.

APA

RMI (2024). Four Priority Low-Carbon Concrete Initiatives for FHWA LCTM Applications. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2024/04/Low-Carbon-Concrete-for-DOTs.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Four Priority Low-Carbon Concrete Initiatives for FHWA LCTM Applications. 2024. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2024/04/Low-Carbon-Concrete-for-DOTs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Four Priority Low-Carbon Concrete Initiatives for FHWA LCTM Applications |date=March 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2024/04/Low-Carbon-Concrete-for-DOTs.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024four, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Four Priority Low-Carbon Concrete Initiatives for FHWA LCTM Applications}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2024/04/Low-Carbon-Concrete-for-DOTs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }