Australia Can Lead on Low-Carbon Concrete – If We Act Now

Originally published at InnovationAus.com

“If we walk away from our ambitious targets now, we will miss a massive market opportunity,” says SmartCrete CRC Chief Executive Clare Tubolets.

Australia risks becoming a follower in one of the world’s biggest decarbonisation markets unless governments maintain ambitious targets and intervene to break the systemic barriers holding back low-carbon materials.

Speaking on The Commercial Disco podcast, Ms Tubolets said Australia is far better placed than many realise to lead the global decarbonisation of concrete, but only if policy ambition and market settings don’t collapse at the final stretch of a seven-year national research effort.

Australia, she said, already has the scientific capability, the collaborative supply-chain network and the technical proof points to compete, but without targeted government intervention to address systemic barriers, the commercial opportunity will slip away.

“Our researchers have shown what’s possible,” she said, noting that geopolymers and other cement-replacement materials have been validated through decades of Australian research.

“The challenge isn’t the science. It’s the market environment around adoption, procurement, risk and standards.”

FULL ARTICLE @ INNOVATION AUS