The Concrete Sustainability Council is an industry organization and standards body focused on decreasing the environmental impact of cement, concrete, and aggregate. The group was originally launched by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as the Concrete Sustainability Initiative in 2013. The project has been managed by the Global Cement and Concrete Association since 2019.
The initiative's initial goal was to establish a certification system for responsibly sourced concrete and its supply chain. The initiative launched the CSC certification system, which is an industry certification that can contribute to LEED certification related to materials. The process evaluates both supply chain and process used for the production of concrete, and other Environmental and Social consequences. Parts of the certificate are optional, such as the CO2 certification -- so not all CSC certified products are low carbon. The certificate is administered by "regional system operators" such as German Ready-Mixed Concrete Association in Germany. As of 2021, 485 concrete industry organizations had the certification.[citation needed]
The certificate comes in four levels Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze -- with platinum complying with more of the certification requirements. The standards for cement, aggregate and concrete are different.The certification allows designers and architects to better understand the lifecycle and impact of concrete in their construction projects. Cement plants that are retrofitting or trying to become more sustainable, can use the standard to redesign their processes.[citation needed]
Beyond certification, the initiative also supports research for the cement industry, such as a technology roadmap of the cement industry with the IEA.