Transforming our Future: Carbon Neutral Construction

How carbon-storing materials and offsets are paving the way to decarbonization.

As the world races to curb climate change, the built environment is emerging as a vanguard for carbon reduction, ripe with opportunity for innovation and disruption.

With buildings contributing nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, rethinking construction materials and incorporating carbon offsets are essential strategies for achieving net-zero carbon emissions.

Recent research highlights the immense potential of carbon-storing materials, while innovative initiatives like Green Builder Media's COGNITION Carbon Offset Marketplace are helping bridge the gap by quantifying and facilitating the reduction of carbon emissions.

Unlocking the Power of Carbon-Storing Building Materials

A groundbreaking study published in Science suggests that by replacing traditional building materials with carbon-sequestering alternatives, we could store more than enough atmospheric carbon to stay below 2°C of warming—even if full adoption takes decades.

To meet the Paris Agreement goals, the world needs to remove an estimated 6.5 gigatons of carbon-equivalent per year by 2050. Over a century, that equates to 600 gigatons of carbon removal to stay below the targeted warming threshold.

While they aren’t today, the materials we use to construct roads, homes, and offices can become effective carbon sinks. The study found that building materials have the potential to store 16.6 gigatons of CO2 annually—nearly half of the global emissions produced in 2021.

Concrete, Asphalt, and Bio-Based Solutions

While plastics store the most carbon by weight, concrete and asphalt offer the greatest opportunity for carbon sequestration, especially when they are produced using mineral oxides that react with CO2 to form carbonates, effectively locking carbon away in a stable form.

Additional strategies include:

• Biochar as a cement filler
• Biomass fibers in bricks
• Carbonating calcium hydroxide in bricks
• Biobased asphalt bitumen

If fully adopted by 2050, these materials could sequester 920 gigatons of CO2 by 2100. According to the study, even if adoption is delayed until 2075, these materials could still store 460 gigatons—enough to make a meaningful impact on global warming.

Challenges and Opportunities

Despite their potential, carbon-storing materials face hurdles to widespread adoption. Two major challenges include:

1. Scaling up carbon capture technology. Capturing CO2 from industrial waste streams and direct air capture needs further innovation and investment.
   
   
2. Accessing and processing minerals. Materials such as olivine, essential for carbon-reactive aggregates, are not evenly distributed globally and require extraction methods that minimize environmental disruption.

However, promising solutions exist. Mine tailings and volcanic rock formations provide accessible sources of minerals for carbon sequestration. Additionally, policymakers can accelerate adoption by introducing carbon credits for using these materials and updating building codes to facilitate their use.

The Role of Carbon Offsets in Achieving Net-Zero

While carbon-storing building materials present a long-term solution, carbon offsets provide an immediate pathway to net-zero emissions.

Offsets allow individuals and businesses to compensate for their carbon footprint by funding projects that remove or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Green Builder Media is pioneering this effort with our COGNITION Carbon Offset Marketplace, which offers transparent, science-backed carbon offsets.

By investing in high-quality offsets through platforms like COGNITION, builders and homeowners can balance their emissions while waiting for carbon-sequestering construction materials to reach scale. These offsets support projects such as reforestation, soil carbon sequestration, and direct air capture, ensuring that the path to net-zero is both achievable and measurable.

The Future of Carbon-Neutral Construction

The combination of carbon-storing materials and offsets represents a transformative approach to decarbonizing the built environment. With supportive policies, investment in technology, and broader industry adoption, the construction sector can transition from being a major carbon emitter to a crucial part of the climate solution.

As material science advances, we’ll see a surge in regenerative building materials that don’t just neutralize carbon—they actively remove it from the atmosphere. Expect rapid growth in modular, prefab construction using carbon-smart components, and wider adoption of net-zero certifications that include embodied carbon metrics.

The integration of digital twins, AI, and carbon accounting tools will further empower architects, engineers, and builders to make informed choices early in the design process.

Publisher’s Note: This content is made possible by our Today’s Homeowner Campaign Sponsors: Whirlpool Corporation. Whirlpool Corporation takes sustainability seriously, in both their products and their operations. Learn more about building and buying homes that are more affordable and less resource intensive.

Want to learn more about zero carbon building? Enroll in Green Builder Media’s COGNITION Academy, which has robust courses on net zero carbon building, green building fundamentals, green product essentials and green building program like ENERGY STAR, Zero Energy Ready Homes, Indoor airPLUS, WaterSense, and HERS ratings.  

And, be sure to check out the COGNITION Carbon Offsets Marketplace if you’re interested in purchasing carbon offsets to mitigate emissions from your products, projects or lifestyle.