Installing emission-free asphalt with fibres

Emission-free construction is high on the agenda of Rijkswaterstaat and an increasing number of municipalities. In asphalt projects, this is usually addressed through emission-free equipment on the construction site — but the choice of asphalt mixture itself contributes at least as much. This article shows how fibre reinforcement and emission-free installation reinforce each other.

What does emission-free installation mean?

Emission-free installation focuses primarily on the equipment used on the construction site: electric or otherwise non-fossil-powered pavers, rollers and transport vehicles. Within the Schoon en Emissieloos Bouwen (SEB) covenant, market parties and government bodies are working together to phase out fossil-powered construction equipment.

The role of the asphalt mixture itself

In addition to the equipment, the mixture itself also determines part of a project's environmental impact — particularly via the production temperature at the asphalt plant. This is where fibre reinforcement comes in: because fibre reinforced asphalt can be produced with standard penetration bitumen instead of polymer modified bitumen (PMB), the production temperature is around 15-20°C lower. That directly saves energy consumption and CO₂ emissions at the asphalt plant, even before the equipment on the construction site comes into play.

Case in point: emission-free construction road with fibre reinforcement

In the construction of a temporary construction road for a new-build project, a base and binder layer of asphalt with aramid fibre reinforcement was installed emission-free. This combination showed that fibre reinforcement and emission-free equipment complement each other well: the lower production temperature of the fibre mixture aligns with the sustainability ambition of emission-free equipment on the construction site, reducing the total environmental impact of the project on multiple fronts at once.

Why this combination delivers more than the sum of its parts

• At the source: lower production temperature at the asphalt plant (fibre reinforcement).

• During transport and installation: fewer emissions through emission-free equipment.

• During use: less maintenance needed thanks to a longer service life (fibre reinforcement), avoiding future emissions from maintenance work.

Where many sustainability measures focus on a single link in the chain, the combination of fibre reinforcement and emission-free equipment addresses multiple links at once.

What does this mean for your tender or project?

For clients who follow the SEB covenant or apply their own emission-free tender requirements, combining fibre reinforcement with emission-free equipment is a direct way to reduce a project's total environmental impact further than would be possible with emission-free equipment alone. This is particularly relevant for:

• Projects with an explicit CO₂ or nitrogen reduction target.

• Tenders in which environmental performance counts as an award criterion (see also our articles on the PCR Asfalt 2026 and tendering fibre reinforced asphalt).

• Projects near nitrogen-sensitive nature areas, where reduced equipment use and lower production emissions both count double.

In summary

Emission-free installation goes beyond just the equipment on the construction site. By combining fibre reinforcement with emission-free equipment, the environmental impact of an asphalt project is reduced on multiple levels at once — from production to installation to future maintenance.