Towards sustainable concrete: Our ecological commitment in the precast concrete industry

Eco-friendly precast concrete: our commitment to sustainability. Here, we explore sustainable solutions and make informed choices. In the construction industry, the precast concrete sector is often criticized for its energy-intensive consumption of cement powder. At Patio Drummond, aware of these environmental challenges, we believe in our responsibility to contribute to the education of our partners and clients.

Environmental transparency: a clear objective

The lack of an environmental consumption index in our sector motivates us to simplify and make information about our products accessible. Our greenhouse gas emissions, primarily related to category 4 emissions (indirect emissions generated by raw materials such as cement), are central to our thinking. [gallery size="full" ids="16541,17173,15765"]

Concrete actions for a reduced environmental impact

1. Raw Material Sourcing: We prioritize local partnerships to reduce our carbon footprint, favoring suppliers located near our factory. This minimizes the transportation required for raw materials. 2. Alternative Materials: Recycled Sand : Recycled sand, derived from foundry waste, finds a second life with us, contributing to a circular economy. In the manufacture of our charcoal-colored products, we replace natural sand with sand from the foundry process. This ensures the reuse of foundry sand before it ends up in a landfill. 3. Cementitious Additives to Reduce Cement Consumption: Incorporating cementitious additives into our concrete mix reduces the consumption of cement powder. These additives are added to the cement during the grinding and preparation process for our recipe. Not only do cementitious additives help us increase the physical properties of concrete, but they also help us reduce the amount of cement powder used in our mix, thus creating more environmentally friendly products. 4. Optimizing Concrete Mixes Our concrete mixes are optimized here at our Drummondville plant by our team. The beauty of precast concrete is that we can maintain very tight control over the materials we use. We therefore ensure that our mixes are effective, safe, and as eco-responsible as possible. Our extensive testing allows us to achieve all this while meeting (and even exceeding) the strength and application standards for concrete products. 5. CarbiCrete Technology – A Decarbonized Block We are the first in the world to manufacture cement-free building blocks using CarbiCrete technology. All of this is aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of our involvement and commitment to the environment and our planet. Not only does the ECO building block not emit CO2 into the air, it actually sequesters it. That's why it's considered decarbonized. This Quebec innovation reduces the amount of emissions associated with cement production by 2 kg and permanently eliminates 1 kg of CO2 per building block. When it comes to eco-friendly precast concrete, this is the best example!

Next step: Transparency index

We are currently working on creating an environmental transparency index. In the coming months, each product will be evaluated, offering our customers a simple way to make informed choices for the environment. At Patio Drummond, our goal is to make the industry more sustainable and empower our customers to choose the environment by selecting products that align with their values. Stay tuned for updates on our eco-responsible approach!