Industry News

​A research group from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, is developing a specially designed molecule which can store solar energy for later use. The molecule, made from carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, has the unique property that when it is hit by sunlight, it is transformed into an energy-rich isomer – a molecule which consists of […]

The EU-backed ‘Mission Innovation consortia’ has launched new project to identify 100 large scale investment opportunities that can play a key role in moving the world onto a 1.5°C warming trajectory. Known as the ‘Countdown to 100 low-carbon solutions’, the new programme aims encourage governments to identify 100 investments with the potential to reduce carbon […]

The expansion in the global economy is undermining the world’s efforts to achieve the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement, a new report from global consultancy Capgemini has warned. Global carbon emissions are expected to rise to a new record level in 2018. Demand for global energy rose by 2.1% in 2017, compared with […]

The cement and concrete sector, together responsible for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, can radically cut its climate impact with only “moderate” investment, according to a study released this week by Swiss scientists. Emissions can be cut by 80% by 2050 in the concrete construction sector, against a 1990 baseline, without major changes […]

The construction industry employs about 7 % of the world’s working-age population and is one of the world economy’s largest sectors, with $10 trillion spent on construction-related goods and services every year. But the industry has an intractable productivity problem and, according to Reinventing construction: A route to higher productivity, a new McKinsey Global Institute report, an opportunity […]

An innovative solution for all the plastic that is choking the world’s landfills is to recycle it and use it to build roads. When bound together with plastic polymers, the asphalt created will be cheaper and last longer than conventional pavement, according to independent experts. One European firm already is combining plastic pellets with hot-mix […]

The City of Rotterdam has an ambitious plan to become a fully circular city by 2050. It believes there are huge environmental, social and economic benefits to be harnessed from implementing a circular economy. Its plan particularly highlights construction waste which it believes represents not just an environmental problem, but an opportunity. Just as Rotterdam […]

The World Cement Association (WCA) has released a climate change manifesto designed to help the industry cut its greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping average global temperature rises ‘well below’ 2C. The WCA Climate Change Action plan outlines measures to help its members develop climate protection strategies and embrace […]

A mushroom-based insulation material for the construction industry has won an international award for innovation. A team of UK researchers has developed a building insulation made of mycelium – the vegetative part of a mushroom. The product offers a high level of insulation qualities, is naturally self-extinguishing, feeds off waste while it grows, and purifies […]

The Clichy-Batignolles area of Paris is a former industrial wasteland which has been transformed into a model of sustainable development and the city’s first “eco-neighbourhood”. Amongst other eco features, homes are equipped with solar panels and clean geothermal energy is used for heating. The overriding aim of this eco-effort is to address the city’s affordable housing […]