ZGF Joins First Movers Coalition to Accelerate Market for Net-Zero Building Materials

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ZGF has joined the First Movers Coalition to send a strong market demand signal for the emerging low and zero carbon technologies essential for a net-zero economy, and the impactful role architects can have in that transition.

As FMC's first architecture firm member, and a signatory of FMC's Cement & Concrete Sector, ZGF affirmed its commitment to reduce the impact of one of the most widely used and carbon-intensive materials in the built environment.

Led by the World Economic Forum and the US Government, FMC targets hard-to-abate sectors including concrete, aluminum, steel, aviation, shipping, and trucking, which are responsible for 30% of global emissions. Decarbonizing these sectors at the speed needed to keep the planet on a 1.5-degree pathway requires low-carbon technologies that are not yet competitive with current carbon-intensive solutions. FMC members leverage their collective specification and purchasing power to scale up critical emerging technologies essential for the net-zero transition.

"ZGF has a long history of enabling market demand for innovative materials, including low-carbon concrete," stated ZGF Managing Partner Ted Hyman. "Joining First Movers and working together to accelerate the uptake of net-zero materials is an important next step in our mission to design a sustainable future."

Launched last year at COP27, the Cement & Concrete Sector set ambitious commitments for specifiers and purchasers of cement and concrete, including encouraging the advancement and deployment of breakthrough manufacturing technologies and supply chain transparency that will be needed to deliver net-zero cement and concrete.

"We are thrilled to welcome ZGF as members of the First Movers Coalition," expressed Nancy Gillis, Programme Head for the First Movers Coalition. "Architects wield immense influence in shaping the built environment, a sector responsible for a staggering 40% of global emissions. With ZGF's expertise and commitment, we look forward to collaborating to advance the industry towards a zero-carbon future."

As an FMC signatory, ZGF commits that at least 10% of the cement/concrete poured for projects annually will meet or exceed the FMC's definition for near-zero emissions by 2030, inclusive of any supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) and will exclude fossil-based SCMs by 2035.

In addition to FMC, ZGF is a signatory of the COP26 Communique, which calls for a global commitment of 65% emissions reduction by 2030, with 100% decarbonization by 2040.

SOURCE ZGF