1. European Federation of Concrete Admixtures Associations
EFCA
“Promoting the environmental benefits of admixtures for a sustainable concrete”

2. Environmental benefits of admixtures
Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions

3. Environmental benefits of admixtures
Cement is the world’s most widespread manmade material, with approximately 0.56 tonnes produced annually for every person on Earth.
Cement manufacturing produces tonne of CO2 emissions per tonne of cement, and accounts for approximately 5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions – making it among the largest contributors of greenhouse gases on the planet.
The production of cement clinker is the largest emitter of CO2 outside the energy sector, accounting for about 5% of global emissions.
Concrete Admixtures can help reduce this carbon footprint
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4. Environmental benefits of admixtures
SUSTAINABILITY, is the key to development of new concrete technologies in order to achieve:
greater production efficiency,
higher durability and an improvement of concrete service life,
environmentally friendly material also for the future.

5. Environmental benefits of admixtures
ADMIXTURES play a decisive role in this context, transforming a traditional concrete into a sophisticated material, ensuring its sustainability by achieving:
reduction of CO2 emissions, water and energy consumption,
improvement of concrete quality, performance and durability,
3. use of alternative materials.

6. Environmental benefits of admixtures
Reduction Of Co2 Emissions, Water And Energy Consumption
Thanks to the dispersing effect of plasticisers /superplasticisers admixtures on fine particles it is possible to
maintain the same workability of the concrete mix with lower water content.
increase of workability with a consequent reduction in mixing energy and placing concrete.

7. Environmental benefits of admixtures
Reduction Of Co2 Emissions, Water And Energy Consumption
The addition of 1% of superplasticiser, can correspond (with equal workability) to a water reduction of 20%!

8. Environmental benefits of admixtures
2. Concrete quality, performance and durability improvements
Thanks to Plasticising/superplasticizing admixtures :
reduction of noise, vibrations and energy,
water content reduction,
greater flowability of the mix,
flowable mixes which are resistant to segregation,
enhanced performance and durability for concrete subject to freeze-thaw conditions

9. Environmental benefits of admixtures
3. Alternative materials
The use of admixtures can support the use of sustainable materials to produce concrete such as:
supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) with widely differing compositions
local “difficult” aggregates
recycled and “poor quality” aggregates
alternative binders
This means less transport of raw materials, less CO2 emissions and more benefits for the local economy.

10. Environmental benefits of admixtures
EFCA Position Paper on:
“Environmental Benefits of Admixtures for a sustainable concrete”

11. EFCA EPDs
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are the basis for any ‘Life Cycle Analysis and Assessment’ (LCA) of new structures and important tools for providing admixture users with key information regarding the potential impacts of these materials.

12. EFCA EPDs EFCA Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
EFCA believes that providing information on the environmental impacts of admixtures is vital.
Since 2015 EFCA has produced 6 verified “Model European EPDs” covering:
Plasticising and superplasticising,
Hardening accelerators,
Set accelerators
Retarders,
Air entrainers,
Water resisting admixtures

13. EFCA EPDs EFCA Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
EFCA EPDs have been independently verified in compliance with the common standards EN and ISO and adopted by ECO Platform as acceptable across Europe

14. EFCA EPDs Scope: Application:
EFCA Environmental Product Declarations exclusively apply for the product groups placed on the market by plants operated in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom by companies that are members of EFCA National Associations.
Application:
Concrete admixtures are used as constituent materials for the production of concrete, mortar and grout (unreinforced concrete, reinforced and prestressed concrete, site mixed and ready mixed concrete, precast concrete)
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15. EPDs Provide Opportunity to make Real Decision
EFCA EPDs
Model EPDs and Life Cycle Assessment calculations are based on the products with the highest environmental impact (worst- case scenario)
This conservative method was chosen so that the use of EPD data for an analysis of concrete and mortar products could use the model data safely with the acknowledgement that the data represented the admixture types placed on the market by EFCA members across the EEA.
EPDs Provide Opportunity to make Real Decision
based on Real Data
June 11

16. EFCA Environmental Comm. Activities
European Legislation
EFCA Environmental committee is following :
EN 164/WG3 on Products in contact with drinking water:
Mandate M/136 the European Acceptance Scheme for Construction Products in Contact with Drinking Water;
The 4MS Group developing the common approach;
Use of common test Methods and acceptances levels;
- Working on EFCA 2018 Enquiry of the current situation at national level.
Mandate M/366 on Regulated Dangerous Substances

17. EFCA Environmental Comm. Activities
European Legislation
EFCA Environmental committee is following:
Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 on the Construction Products Regulation (CPR)
Regulation (EC) No 1907/ REACH and Regulation (EC) No 542/2017 – the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP)
- Annex VIII of the Regulation
- Workability Study of the Wood Consultant, promoted by the EC

18. EFCA Environmental Comm. Activities
European Legislation
EFCA Environmental committee is following:
CEN/TC 350 on standardized methods for the assessment of sustainability aspects for:
New and existing construction works
Standards for EPDs
EN : Sustainability of construction works:
- Environmental product declarations
- Core rules for the product category of construction products
The revision of the mandate from EC to CEN to align EPD methodology with Product Env Footprint (PEF)
EFCA EC maintains a watching brief and lobby through ECP

19. European Admixture Producers Since 1984 Thank You for Listening
EFCA
The Voice of the
European Admixture Producers Since 1984
Thank You for Listening