Substantiating the CO₂ Performance Ladder with fibre reinforcement

For contractors and clients who score on the CO₂ Performance Ladder or use it as an award criterion, it is important to be able to concretely substantiate CO₂-reducing measures. Fibre reinforcement of concrete and asphalt provides useful, project-specific figures for this purpose. This article explains how.

What is the CO₂ Performance Ladder?

The CO₂ Performance Ladder is an instrument that helps companies reduce their CO₂ emissions — within their own operations (scope 1 and 2) as well as within projects and the supply chain (scope 3). Clients, including Rijkswaterstaat, use the ladder as an award criterion within tenders: a higher rung yields a (fictitious) advantage when assessing a bid.

Where does fibre reinforcement fit within the ladder?

Fibre reinforcement mainly relates to scope 3: the indirect emissions associated with the materials a contractor purchases and processes in projects. Specifically, fibre reinforcement offers measurable CO₂ reduction in two areas:

For asphalt:

• Lower production temperature (around 15-20°C lower than with PMB) directly results in less energy consumption and CO₂ emissions at the asphalt plant.

• Better recyclability of the penetration bitumen used compared to PMB.

For concrete:

• Avoided steel production by replacing (part of the) traditional reinforcement with fibres — in a documented practical example, this led to a 98% CO₂ reduction compared to the original steel solution.

How do you substantiate this towards the CO₂ Performance Ladder?

• Request a project-specific calculation of the CO₂ saving of the fibre reinforced mixture compared to the conventional alternative (PMB or steel reinforcement), preferably based on independent research such as the FIBRA project.

• Document the amount avoided (kg of steel avoided, litres of fuel saved through a lower production temperature) per project, so that this can be added up within your annual CO₂ footprint report.

• Link this to your scope 3 reduction measures, as part of your CO₂ reduction plan towards the certifying body.

• Include it in your project plan of approach for tenders where the CO₂ Performance Ladder applies as an award criterion, with concrete, traceable figures instead of general sustainability claims.

Why figures matter more than claims

Certifying bodies and clients assess CO₂ reduction measures on substantiation, not on intention. A claim such as "we apply sustainable fibre reinforcement" has little value without underlying figures. A substantiation such as "through fibre reinforcement the production temperature was lowered by 18°C, which amounts to X litres of fuel saving per tonne of asphalt produced" is directly usable within a CO₂ Performance Ladder process.

In conclusion

Fibre reinforcement of concrete and asphalt delivers concrete, measurable contributions to scope 3 reduction within the CO₂ Performance Ladder. For a strong substantiation, it is important to have the actual saving calculated per project, rather than relying on general sustainability claims.