Sustainability

Lowering Emissions with Low-Carbon Concrete

Lafarge white concrete truck parked under a bridge with green ECOPact logo on the back

The use and manufacturing of standard concrete accounts for approximately 8% of global carbon emissions. Clearly, finding a way to lower that number is essential for Mattamy to meet its GHG reduction targets. In FY2024, we successfully incorporated low-carbon concrete into several Alberta and Florida communities.

 

Since 2021, our Alberta division has been using ECOPact concrete in all of the homes we build in the province, more than 450 every year. Produced by Lafarge, ECOPact matches the performance and appearance of standard concrete, while its production and usage generate approximately 30% less carbon compared to industry average concrete.

 

“We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint,” says Collin Campbell, President, Mattamy Homes’ Alberta division. “The fact that this product has the same durability, strength and finish as standard concrete, but instead uses a blended cement that incorporates reuse of by-products to reduce emissions, is a huge win.”

 

In Florida, the Tampa & Southwest Florida division began testing Vertua®, a low-carbon ready-mix concrete that is estimated to reduce CO2 levels by at least 30% while still maintaining the same level of integrity and appearance as traditional concrete.

 

In October 2023, at Mattamy’s Sunstone community in Wellen Park®, the division poured a 3.6-ton slab of low-carbon Vertua® concrete instead of a conventional concrete slab. Subsequently, the team engaged a third-party consultant whose analysis of the slab confirmed that Vertua® delivered a reduction in carbon without compromising on performance in any way.

 

A local trade partner recommended the Vertua® product to Mattamy after they attended a “Building Sustainable Futures Today” workshop hosted by Peter Gilgan, Mattamy’s Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer, and Keith Bass, CEO of Mattamy Homes U.S.

 

“We wanted to get together with key trade partners to get their ideas on how we can integrate sustainable practices,” noted a Mattamy Homes U.S. team member in Tampa, Florida. “With cement being one of the highest carbon emitters, the ability to reduce that down is massive.”