That’s how attractive the eco-variants of concrete are

Frankfurt It is in almost every house – but it is considered a climate killer: the classic building material concrete. The reason for this: When manufacturing one tonne of cement, which is an important ingredient in concrete, around 700 kilograms of carbon dioxide are released into the air.

The cement industry alone contributes around seven percent to global CO2 emissions. “We can no longer build houses like we have built them in recent years,” emphasized recently the civil engineer and architect Werner Sobek, who is one of the founding members of the German Sustainable Building Council.

But the struggle for a more climate-neutral future on the house and apartment market is tough and complex. Because the building material, which is stable, affordable and durable, cannot simply be replaced.

However, researchers, developers and construction companies have long been working on less climate-damaging variants of the raw material in order to reduce its carbon footprint. So what new building materials are there, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?