The American Concrete Institute (ACI) launched NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete to collaborate globally to drive research, education, awareness, and adoption of carbon neutral materials and technologies in the industry. NEU was officially announced during the 2022 ACI Spring Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Located at ACI Headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan, NEU will focus on transforming the concrete industry into a proactive, unified group actively engaged in developing and employing both existing and new technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of the concrete industry. The ACI Board of Direction has approved funds for staffing and initial projects, including research to identify technologies that have the potential to significantly impact the carbon footprint of concrete. Additional core functions include technology acceleration, coordination with ACI committees, technology transfer and professional development, and technology assessment and validation.
Dr. Andrea Schokker, PhD, P.E.., and LEED AP will stand as the executive director of the brand new NEU Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete.
NEU also announces Baker Concrete, Inc. as the center’s Initial Member. Baker Concrete is the largest concrete contractor in the U.S. and specializes in pre-construction, construction, and project management services. They provide expertise in civil, commercial, industrial, institutional, multi-family residential, and mission-critical buildings, and have over 5,500 employees across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.
“NEU envisions a concrete industry where all stakeholders have access to technologies and the knowledge needed to effectively and safely produce and place carbon neutral concrete and concrete products,” says Andrea Schokker, Executive Director, NEU. “Concrete plays a major role in a sustainable future and collaboration with members worldwide is critical to developing a comprehensive plan to help make the concrete industry carbon neutral by 2050”.
For more than a decade, the American Concrete Institute has been convening the industry’s brightest authorities to advance sustainability in the concrete industry. With ACI’s stature as a standards-developing institution and one of the world’s largest sources of consensus-based information on all facets of concrete construction, NEU: ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete, is uniquely positioned to serve as a catalyst in incorporating ACI’s breadth of knowledge into the further acceleration of carbon-neutral concrete in the built environment.
To learn more about NEU’s mission for a carbon neutral concrete industry and to get involved, visit neuconcrete.org.
