Forterra paves the way towards low carbon precast concrete products
Forterra’s Hoveringham site in Nottingham pioneered trials in 2022, experimenting with CEM II cement and alternative admixtures. CEM II has a lower clinker content than traditional CEM I cement and, as clinker requires very high temperatures of over 1,400°c to manufacture, reducing the clinker content in cement also reduces carbon emissions. Using admixtures also reduces the curing temperatures and improves early strength, to reduce carbon further.
Since then, all shops at Hoveringham are now running on CEM II cement, which has reduced the site’s weekly CO2 output by over 40 tonnes, or approximately 750 tonnes since switching.
Forterra’s Whittlesey site in Peterborough has also switched from CEM I to CEM II, benefiting from 5% carbon reduction for each tonne of cement used. These positive results have led to further trials taking place at Milton with the hope of making the switch to CEM II there as well.
Alternative admixtures are also being trialled at Somercotes, focusing on optimising cement contents in order to improve the reject rate and reduce the need for secondary finishing. Lower carbon mixes have been developed for specific projects, and now Forterra is working on introducing CEM II into the production schedule while trialling digital technology which aids in efficiency.
Stephen Harrison, Forterra’s Chief Executive, said, “As a company we have set ambitious ESG targets to reduce our carbon emissions by a further 32% by 2030, and I’m very proud that we’re on our way to achieving them.
“We are always looking for ways to help the environment and operate more sustainably, so it’s brilliant to have such a driven Research & Development department determined to find solutions to lower our carbon footprint. To have almost a third of our sites utilising low-carbon concrete is a fantastic achievement and I look forward to sharing more updates on our sustainability efforts.”
Andy Murphy, commercial director for Hanson UK, said; “We are committed to helping our customers meet their net zero objectives, so it has been great to work with Forterra to introduce our recently developed CEM II cement, which has helped reduce the carbon content of its products.”
This investment follows a series of other important sustainability measures announced by Forterra, including a solar farm that will supply 70% of its electricity needs by 2025, a reduction in single use plastic used to wrap its products, the use of HVO (bio diesel) fuel to power all its mobile machinery at its Measham facility, and a £21 million investment in its haulage fleet.
Forterra recently won three awards at the Delivering Net Zero for British Ceramics Conference; the Delivering Decarbonisation Award, Trailblazer Award, and Special Recognition Award for David Manley, Forterra’s Head of Sustainability.
For more information on Forterra’s sustainability efforts visit https://www.forterra.co.uk/sustainability/.