NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete—with a mission to drive education, awareness and adoption of carbon neutral concrete materials and technologies—announces its involvement in the forthcoming COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

NEU will be appearing at COP28 with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) at the Concrete Future Pavilion, found at TA3-245, Thematic Arena, Blue Zone. At that location, from 11:45 – 12:45 local time on December 6, NEU will be participating in “ACI and NEU Unveil Code and Resources for Carbon Neutral Concrete.”  Dean Frank, P.E., executive director, NEU, will be speaking along with Dr. Antonio Nanni, president, American Concrete Institute (ACI) and Prof. Karen Scrivener, Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (EPFL). The session will be moderated by Andrew Minson, Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director, GCCA.

During this talk, the establishment and mission of NEU will be described, as well as the pending publication of the ACI 323 Low-Carbon Concrete Code. 

ACI President Nanni explains that sustainability is at the forefront of many industries, but the concrete construction community has a remarkable, elevated opportunity to fundamentally change the way civilizations are built. “ACI and NEU are uniquely positioned to address these initiatives and we look forward to sharing our knowledge and collaborating with organizations that share this interest,” says Nanni.

“We are pleased to be part of COP28,” says Frank. “NEU is fully committed to helping companies decarbonize concrete using the best technologies available. Through working with GCCA, our members and allied associations, we hope to further educate the industry on best practices to reduce carbon emissions.” 

“The world’s climate crisis has made us all look at how we must make changes to reduce our company’s footprint. The best path to take can be hard to discern, which is why these events are so important so we can share information globally.”

The Conference of the Parties, otherwise known as COP, is an initiative of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is convening its 28th meeting at COP28 in Dubai. COP has assembled countries every year for nearly three decades to focus the world’s attention on climate change, quantify changes, and determine programs and responsibilities to slow the increase of global temperatures.