CapitaLand Development and Climate Group’s ConcreteZero initiative recently launched the Concrete Data for Concrete Action benchmark, Singapore’s first market-wide reference for examining the carbon footprint of concrete. The benchmark establishes a credible baseline for the embodied carbon intensity of concrete supplied in Singapore, giving the construction value chain a single, shared starting point for the first time.
Developed through collection and analysis of verified environmental data from concrete suppliers, the benchmark represents a weighted average of embodied carbon performance across commonly used concrete mixes.
With the benchmark as a shared rulebook, the value chain is able to identify and choose lower-carbon concrete options. It aligns stakeholders across the built environment on reducing embodied carbon emissions together.
This transparency empowers demand and supply-side industry stakeholders to make informed decisions, while providing policymakers with the additional data to support standards across public and private projects.
This alignment is urgently needed. The built environment accounts for almost 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with concrete alone accounting for 8%. By equipping developers, suppliers, regulators and financiers with a common reference point, the benchmark accelerates the transition from isolated pilot projects to systematic market adoption, reducing embodied carbon in construction at scale.
As Singapore imports most of its construction materials, the benchmark’s findings extend beyond the city-state, facilitating the wider Asian supply chain transition towards sustainable developments. The report draws on frameworks from the UK and Australia, adapted for Singapore’s market to ensure the data is internationally robust and regionally relevant.
