The construction industry faces increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability across all stages of the built environment. Concrete, as the world’s most widely used construction material, is a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions due to its energy-intensive production processes and the extensive use of Portland cement.
This special issue of the Magazine of Concrete Research invites high-quality original research and review papers focusing on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of low-carbon concrete. The issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for advancing scientific understanding and practical strategies to minimize environmental impact while maintaining performance, durability, and structural reliability. Topics of interest include the development and assessment of low-carbon binders, supplementary cementitious materials, recycled aggregates, carbon capture and utilization in concrete, and bio-based or geopolymer concretes. Studies employing LCA methodologies to quantify embodied carbon, energy consumption, and environmental trade-offs across material production, construction, service life, and end-of-life phases are particularly encouraged. Contributions that integrate LCA with performance-based design, durability modelling, circular economy principles, or digital tools such as BIM and AI-driven sustainability assessment are also welcome.
The special issue seeks to bridge the gap between research, industry practice, and policy by highlighting innovative pathways toward carbon neutrality in the concrete sector. Through this collection, the journal aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and disseminate cutting-edge insights that will shape the future of sustainable concrete technologies.
Scope
Topics of interest include the development and assessment of low-carbon binders, supplementary cementitious materials, recycled aggregates, carbon capture and utilization in concrete, and bio-based or geopolymer concretes. Studies employing LCA methodologies to quantify embodied carbon, energy consumption, and environmental trade-offs across material production, construction, service life, and end-of-life phases are particularly encouraged. Contributions that integrate LCA with performance-based design, durability modelling, circular economy principles, or digital tools such as BIM and AI-driven sustainability assessment are also welcome.
The special issue seeks to bridge the gap between research, industry practice, and policy by highlighting innovative pathways toward carbon neutrality in the concrete sector. Through this collection, the journal aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and disseminate cutting-edge insights that will shape the future of sustainable concrete technologies.
List of topic areas
- LCA of low-carbon binders
- LCA of bio-based cementitious materials
- LCA of geopolymer concretes
- LCA of recycled aggregates concrete
- Carbon capture and utilization in concrete
- Digital tools-driven sustainability assessment
- Carbon emissions calculation methods and rules
- Environmental impact of low-carbon concrete.
Submissions Information
Please read the Author guidelines.
Submissions are made using ReView. Registration and access are available here. Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else while under review for this journal.
Journal Information: Scopus journal Q2, H-Index 80
Key deadlines
Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 1 February 2026
Closing date for abstract submission: 31 January 2026
Closing date for manuscript submission: 30 June 2026
For more details refer here
