SR106 Environmental impact associated with New Zealand concrete manufacture (2007)

A life cycle inventory study of concrete in New Zealand was conducted, using methodologies from a Canadian study. In all, seven concrete products were investigated - 17.5 MPa, 30 MPa and 40 MPa ready-mix concrete, double tee and hollow core precast units and concrete block and mortar.

The inventory boundary specifically examined the first three stages of each product’s life - raw material extraction, transportation to manufacturing plant and production - commonly known as cradle-to-the-gate analysis. Four areas were investigated - energy use, atmospheric emissions, water usage and solid wastes.

This research concluded that concrete production in New Zealand (circa 1999) and Canada (circa 1992) have similar energy requirements, cause similar amounts of atmospheric emissions and produce similar amounts of liquid wastes.