• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » These Construction Practices Are Cutting Carbon From Quarry to Jobsite
Analysis

These Construction Practices Are Cutting Carbon From Quarry to Jobsite

Cutting Carbon
February 6, 2020
Steve Cox, SCB Contributor

Analyst insight: The production of concrete’s main ingredient, cement, is responsible for 5% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Many efforts are underway to make concrete more sustainable, and data sharing processes in the construction supply chain aim to decrease harm on the environment. 

Green building codes and certification programs, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), aim to reduce construction’s carbon footprint. Although operational carbon is a big deal, initial embodied carbon (EC) is a problem that needs attention as well. Initial embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions from the quarry to the cement mill and the ready mix plant — as well as transportation to the jobsite. 

In order to reduce carbon emissions in a significant and meaningful way, companies must look beyond their own operations and engage their trading partners in the effort. 

Carbon-aware specification and procurement policies supported by Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) can make an impact. EPDs are transparent, objective reports that show what a product is made of and how it impacts the environment across its entire life cycle. 

To achieve decarbonization, broad industry collaboration must occur to set out the vision, goals and actions needed to drive change. Supply chains need connected technologies and an active community of people. Each stakeholder must have the desire to work symbiotically and share data — allowing for greater visibility across materials and trust among partners. 

Of course, the data has to be reliable. When material sources and production techniques are verifiable, inspectors can confirm any sustainability claims being made. These insights are extremely useful in the complex construction supply chain because nearly all products require the collaboration of multiple businesses to complete the development of raw materials into final goods.

Supplier collaboration platforms can collect data from the many systems deployed throughout the supply chain and provide insights on the materials to other permissioned stakeholders, adding a broader view of the carbon efficiency from raw materials through final placement at the jobsite.

Track-and-trace technology can cut carbon usage, too. Dispatch and telematics solutions shorten drive times with optimized routes, and other solutions map truck locations in real time so that managers will know when a shipment arrives at the jobsite. The yard can be cleared prior to delivery so that trucks don’t sit and idle, releasing CO2 into the environment, while they wait for unloading. 

Outlook

The construction industry is positioned to impact the environment in a positive way by following sustainable practices. Supplier collaboration platforms are providing actionable information in real time, and other applications automatically send data to all stakeholders.

The ability to track and trace materials from quarry to jobsite has been unprecedented until now, and businesses are realizing the effects that these systems can have in reducing initial embodied carbon.

Steve Cox is vice president of business development at Command Alkon.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Steve Cox, SCB Contributor

More from this author

Wake up to live
“Supply Chains in Crisis”
updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • INTERIOR OF A CHICKEN FARM, WITH WHITE CHICKENS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE

    Worst Avian Flu in U.S. History Is Hitting Poultry

    Food & Beverage
  • TWO FINGERS MANIPULATE WOODEN LETTER BLOCKS TO TURN FROM SHOWING THE WORD RECOVERY TO RESILIENCE

    Five Challenges to Supply Chain Resilience in 2023

    Supply Chain Visibility
  • A PERSON HOLDS UP A TABLET COMPUTER IN A WAREHOUSE, SUPER-IMPOSED BY A GRAPHIC SHOWING A COMPLEX WEB OF SUPPLY CHAIN ELEMENTS

    Three Post-Pandemic Actions for Repairing Global Supply Chains

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • A MAN IN A SUIT SHAKES HANDS WITH A WOMAN IN A HARD HAT, NEXT TO A STACK OF CONTAINERS

    Three Procurement Technology Evolutions for 2023

    Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
  • The blank stare of a child's eye who is standing behind what appears to be a wooden frame

    The Alarming Continued Rise of Modern Slavery in Supply Chains: How Procurement Can Help Reverse the Trend

    Sourcing/Procurement/SRM

Digital Edition

Scb nov 2022 sm

2022 Supply Chain Innovator of the Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Honeywell Intelligrated IFM
Infor Inmar Keelvar
Kinaxis Korber Lean Solutions Group 2H
Liberty SBF Locus Robotics Logility
LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems MCA Connect
MPO Nvidia Old Dominion
OpenText ORTEC Overhaul
Parsyl PMMI QIMA
Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash Saddle Creek Logistics
Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG Ship4WD
Shipwell Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing