Devagro pioneers with CO2-neutral ready-mixed concrete in Belgium!

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Devagro pioneers with CO2-neutral ready-mixed concrete in Belgium!

The construction industry faces major challenges in terms of sustainability, but fortunately, innovations are not lacking. Several techniques have already been developed to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from concrete. But ready-mixed concrete that is completely CO2 neutral? There was no such thing until now. Thanks to the investment in a brand new technology, Devagro is changing this. As the first company in Belgium, Devagro makes it possible to offer CO2-neutral ready-mixed concrete to customers, an important milestone on the road to a more sustainable construction sector.

Concrete: indispensable, but not innocent

Concrete has been playing a crucial role in our daily lives for longer than today. For numerous infrastructure projects such as buildings, roads and tunnels, concrete is currently the standard. Yet this poses a huge challenge: the production of cement, the binding agent in concrete, is responsible for about 8% of total global CO2 emissions. Making concrete production more sustainable with innovative technologies is essential to reduce CO2 emissions and make the construction sector more environmentally friendly.

‘The climate challenge is one of the biggest challenges of our generation,’ says Climate and Energy Minister Melissa Depraetere. ‘Only if everyone does their part we can make our planet healthy again. Only then will we make it feasible and affordable for everyone. So, as a resident of Harelbeke and a Climate Minister, I am incredibly proud that it is precisely a company from my backyard that is pioneering the reduction of CO2 emissions in the building sector. Thanks to their hard work and focus on innovation, they can today present the first ever CO2-neutral concrete. With Devagro, we can once again state that West Flanders entrepreneurs are an example for the rest of Flanders.’

Carbon Capture & Storage

As a concrete producer, Devagro is taking its responsibility by applying Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). This innovative process works as follows: CO2, originating from industrial processes, is captured, preventing it from entering the atmosphere. Subsequently, this CO2 is transported to Devagro's 10-hectare water-bound company site in Waregem. There, Devagro safely stores the CO2 - ‘Storage’ - in its recycled, COPRO-approved granulates, most of which come from its own demolition activities.

To put this technology into practice, Devagro has invested significantly in the necessary infrastructure and installations. ‘At Devagro, we have long believed in the power of innovation, preferably in these technologies with a beneficial, directly measurable environmental impact,’ says Yves Degezelle, CEO of Devagro. ‘This investment shows that, with Devagro, we see challenges as opportunities and we dare to take our responsibility by financing this technology with 100% of our own resources, which is not an obvious choice in these economically challenging times. We are proud to introduce a new CO2 Storage technology in Belgium with an in-house developed installation, paving the way for a more sustainable construction sector.’

Tailored carbon offsetting

For Devagro customers, nothing essentially changes: the existing concrete recipes remain unchanged, without sacrificing quality or performance. ‘The big difference is that we can offset the CO2 emissions from our production with the CO2 that was taken from the air beforehand,’ says Ir. Lars Rius, Innovation Coordinator at Devagro. ‘This allows customers to decide to what extent they want to offset the CO2 emissions from their concrete. It is a flexible solution, not an all-or-nothing story. As Devagro, we count on such investments in sustainable solutions getting a fair chance in the market. This technology makes CO2-neutral concrete possible, but it can only succeed if our government and customers are willing to make the transition to a more sustainable future together.’

Towards a climate-friendly construction sector

The pressure to make the construction sector more sustainable is increasing. Driven by the European Union, with tougher climate targets and stricter regulations around CO2 emissions in the sector, there is a clear trend towards innovative solutions.

A process such as Carbon Capture & Storage allows the impact on the environment to be drastically reduced. It can therefore gain a visible place in the transparency that companies, through the introduction of the CSRD directive, are obliged to provide about their sustainability performance. Especially in the construction sector, which ranks high on the carbon ladder, these reports will play an important role. The scores achieved will be publicly recorded. This will encourage companies more than ever to put their money where their mouth is to comply with stricter environmental requirements.

Within this broad policy framework, Devagro is willing to further roll out the ‘CO2 Storage’ technology to peer companies. This will also enable these companies to significantly reduce their overall carbon footprint generated at their own company site.

Target 36,000 ha of forest

The recycling sector accounts for no less than 22,500,000 tonnes (source VSOR) of inert recycling granules in Belgium (15 mio tonnes of Flanders, 1.5 mio tonnes of Brussels, 6 mio tonnes of Wallonia), which are eligible to permanently bind the captured CO2. In total, this would allow a 450,000 tonnes of CO2 to be permanently stored, which is the equivalent of 36,000 hectares of forest and this every year.

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