Sustainability, standards and innovation

Sustainability has long ceased to be an afterthought for concrete and asphalt projects. Rijkswaterstaat aims to be fully climate-neutral and circular by 2030, with 50% less use of primary raw materials, and increasingly more municipalities and provinces impose comparable requirements. In tenders, concepts such as MKI, MPG and the CO₂ Performance Ladder help determine who is awarded a project. Fibre reinforcement of concrete and asphalt speaks directly to these themes: it extends service life, lowers environmental impact and delivers project-specific figures to substantiate that gain. On this page we bring the knowledge together — from circularity and CO₂ to the standards and research around it.

Why sustainability and fibre reinforcement come together

The environmental gain from fibre reinforcement runs along two tracks that Rijkswaterstaat explicitly names in its 2030 objective: extending the service life of the existing asset base and developing new circular materials. Fibres contribute to both. They make concrete and asphalt tougher and more crack-resistant, so structures last longer and maintenance can be deferred — value retention rather than replacement.

On top of that comes a direct raw-material and emissions gain. Every kilo of CO₂-intensive steel reinforcement replaced by a lighter alternative delivers an environmental benefit, and that benefit can be made visible with a concrete worked example. In asphalt, fibre reinforcement and emission-free construction reinforce each other: the equipment on site and the mix itself both count. In this way fibre reinforcement touches circular construction, CO₂ reduction and the emission-free construction site all at once.

Standards, certification and tenders

Sustainability claims are only convincing once they are measurable and traceable. In tenders, the Environmental Cost Indicator (MKI) and the Environmental Performance of Buildings (MPG) increasingly feature as assessment criteria, and fibre reinforcement can score favourably on both. Rijkswaterstaat, provinces and municipalities calculate tenders through DuboCalc, in which every kilo of steel or CO₂ saved counts directly — provided you have your verified environmental data and EPDs in order. The CO₂ Performance Ladder — used by, among others, Rijkswaterstaat as an award criterion — requires concrete, project-specific substantiation of scope 3 reduction, precisely what fibre reinforcement can deliver.

For the technical substantiation there is international backing. fib Bulletin 105, published in late 2022 by the international concrete federation fib, bundles state-of-the-art knowledge on fibre reinforced concrete and fills a gap left open by Model Code 2020. For the fibre itself, the product standard EN 14889 sets out the fibre classes and the conformity framework behind the CE mark. When procuring fibre materials, inspections and declarations such as the ATG inspection also play a role; knowing what to request prevents surprises in a sustainability report.

Research, field trials and the challenge ahead

Fibre reinforcement is a proven technology, but it does not stand still. Behind the Dutch trial sections with fibre reinforced asphalt lies the European FIBRA project, carried out within the CEDR programme in which European road authorities collaborate. On the A73 near Roermond, BAM Infra built a demonstration garden for sustainable asphalt, where fibre reinforced ZOAB is tested in practice — results that show what the technology does on the motorway.

At the same time, a major challenge is taking shape. Rijkswaterstaat calls the renewal of bridges, tunnels, locks and roads from the 1950s and 60s the largest maintenance challenge in its history, to be carried out with scarce budgets and manpower. In that challenge, every measure that extends service life or speeds up maintenance counts. There is also movement on the materials side: basalt fibre is gaining ground as a fourth main category of reinforcement fibre alongside steel, aramid and polyacrylonitrile, and is one of five trends set to shape the coming years. The articles below each work out one of these topics in more detail — from circularity and CO₂ through standards and certification to the research and trends shaping the sector in the years ahead.