Performance Over Prescription: Enabling Low-Carbon Concrete

The construction industry is facing increasing pressure to reduce embodied carbon, with concrete representing one of the largest sources of emissions associated with infrastructure delivery. In this webinar, Dr Farzad Moghaddam will explore how the transition from prescriptive specifications to performance-based approaches can unlock new opportunities for low-carbon concrete. Drawing on research, industry experience, and Sydney Water’s sustainability journey, the session will examine how material selection, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and performance-focused requirements can work together to reduce embodied carbon without compromising technical outcomes.
The presentation will discuss the role of SCMs such as fly ash and slag, and how their chemistry, particle characteristics, and variability influence hydration, strength development, durability, and overall concrete performance. It will also examine how traditional specification requirements can unintentionally constrain innovation, and how performance-based specifications can provide a more effective framework for balancing carbon reduction, durability, and project risk.
Attendees will gain practical insights into how major infrastructure owners are approaching embodied carbon reduction, the importance of understanding material behaviour, and the use of tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to support evidence-based procurement and decision-making.
Key topics include:
• Why embodied carbon matters and the scale of the opportunity within concrete infrastructure.
• The role of SCMs and material performance in enabling low-carbon concrete.
• Understanding the relationship between embodied carbon, strength, durability, and constructability.
• Moving from prescriptive requirements to performance-based specifications.
• Using LCA and EPDs to measure, benchmark, and verify carbon outcomes.
• Strategies for aligning carbon reduction, performance, and risk across infrastructure projects.
This webinar is intended for asset owners, engineers, consultants, concrete producers, contractors, and sustainability professionals seeking practical approaches to delivering low-carbon concrete through innovation, performance-based thinking, and informed specification development. Participants will gain a practical understanding of how performance-based specifications can support decarbonisation objectives while maintaining the durability, resilience, and whole-of-life performance expected of critical infrastructure assets.