Construction value chain leaders launch new alliance to accelerate low-carbon cement and concrete adoption in France

Bouygues Construction, CB Green (Groupe CB), Ecocem France, and POINT.P have launched Action Béton & Ciment Durables (ABCD), a new alliance bringing together organisations from across the construction value chain with a shared objective: accelerating the decarbonisation of concrete and cement in France by rapidly deploying proven low-carbon solutions that already exist.

The founding members state that the technologies required to significantly reduce emissions from cement and concrete are available today. The challenge is no longer innovation alone, but creating the regulatory, market, and industry conditions needed to deploy these solutions at scale.

Acting now with proven solutions

Concrete remains an essential material for homes, infrastructure, and the built environment. However, cement – its key binding ingredient – responsible for almost 8% of global CO₂ emissions, primarily because of the production of clinker.

The ABCD Alliance states that these emissions can be significantly reduced through greater clinker substitution using low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials, the adoption of new cement technologies, and optimised concrete mix designs.

The principal barriers are therefore no longer technical. Instead, they lie in standards, regulation, procurement practices, and established industry habits. These are the issues the alliance intends to address.

Accelerating standards reform and market demand

ABCD will work to create a regulatory and commercial environment that enables the rapid deployment of existing low-carbon cement and concrete technologies.

The alliance is calling for action to:

• Accelerate market access for recognised, commercially available low-carbon innovations;
• Promote public and private procurement that prioritises proven, competitive low-carbon construction solutions;
• Support the evolution of construction practices across the sector; and
• Mobilise the entire construction ecosystem behind a common pathway for decarbonisation.

A value chain approach

ABCD brings together organisations from across the construction value chain based on the conviction that meaningful decarbonisation can only be achieved through collective action involving materials producers, contractors, developers, designers, engineers, architects, and clients.

While founded by four organisations, the alliance is designed to expand progressively and welcomes new members committed to accelerating the transition to lower-carbon construction.

In addition to its four founding members, ABCD already includes more than 20 member and associate organisations as well as a number of honourary members.

The alliance aims to create a practical, collaborative platform capable of accelerating the transformation of the construction sector today. Edward Woods, Bouygues Construction

"The solutions needed to decarbonise concrete already exist and are being used successfully on our projects. Our collective responsibility is to make them the norm rather than the exception by accelerating their deployment."

Thierry Legrand, Managing Director, Ecocem France

"In construction, as in every industry, the lowest-carbon tonne is the one that is never emitted. Carbon capture has an important role to play, but our first priority must be to rapidly scale the solutions that reduce emissions at source. That is why Ecocem is proud to help establish the ABCD Alliance."

Nicolas Moreau, CB Green

"Low-carbon concrete does not cost more when it is incorporated from the design stage. Through ABCD, we want carbon performance to become a standard requirement in project specifications, not an exception."

Frédéric Moysan, POINT.P

"Designing, promoting and distributing increasingly sustainable construction solutions is central to our strategy. Through ABCD, we want to help make low-carbon products the market standard and accelerate the sustainable transformation of the construction industry."

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