Citizens at the Heart of the Sustainably-built Environment

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On 19 November 2015, The Concrete Initiative held its first annual event, Concrete Dialogue 2015, entitled: Citizens at the heart of the sustainably-built environment.

This event brought together Members of the European Parliament, European Commission and civil society for a concrete dialogue roundtable to debate issues of relevance to sustainable construction.

Furthermore, a new study on the multiplier effect of investment in concrete, as well as a JRC study on sustainability in construction were presented, providing new insights to further stimulate the discussion.

Concrete is the most widely-used construction material in the world, it is part of our everyday lives.

Construction drives economic growth, innovation and jobs.

It is the largest single economic activity and the greatest industrial employer in Europe with some 20 million jobs, but, possibly due to its ubiquitous nature, it is taken for granted with the risk that it is overlooked and not taken into sufficient consideration as part of the jobs and growth agenda.

In addition, concrete offers the highest level of “whole-life performance” and the industry is continually striving to provide a net positive environmental impact throughout the lifetime of its products.

Furthermore, the new Circular Economy Package is set to be adopted by the Commission in late 2015.

It is therefore timely to understand concrete’s place in this policy area and as a driver of growth and jobs. As such, some of the folliwng issues were tackled:

What can sustainable construction contribute to leveraging growth and jobs?
What are the regional, local socio-economic benefits for sustainable construction?
What are the benefits of sustainable construction to the circular economy?
How can sustainability be integrated into design of buildings?

Publications presented: