Heidelberg Materials UK helps deliver lower carbon residential road improvement scheme in Redbridge

Heidelberg Materials UK and Kenson Highways have completed a residential road improvement project in the London Borough of Redbridge using a range of lower-carbon construction materials designed to significantly reduce emissions associated with highways maintenance.

The scheme, carried out on Heathcote Avenue in Clayhall, combined carriageway resurfacing works with flood mitigation improvements while incorporating several alternative materials and production methods aimed at cutting embodied carbon.

Carbon-captured cement used in highway works

A major part of the project’s carbon reduction came from the use of Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero cement — a carbon-captured near-zero product manufactured using carbon capture and storage technology at the company’s Brevik facility in Norway.

The cement was used within the concrete supplied for kerb installations, edging haunches and footway sub-base construction.

According to Heidelberg Materials, evoZero uses chain-of-custody accounting alongside carbon capture processes to deliver a significantly reduced global warming potential compared with conventional cement products.

Recycled and bio-based asphalt technologies deployed

The resurfacing element of the project also incorporated lower-carbon asphalt materials produced using recycled content, bio-based binders and warm mix asphalt technology.

A total of 275 tonnes of binder course asphalt was laid using a mix containing 25% reclaimed asphalt alongside additional recycled materials specified by the client.

The surface course material incorporated Heidelberg Materials’ CarbonLock bio-binder, which contains biogenic components capable of absorbing and storing atmospheric CO₂ during their lifecycle.

The company said the captured carbon remains permanently locked within the asphalt, including after future recycling processes, helping further reduce lifecycle emissions.

Warm mix asphalt reduces production emissions

The asphalt was also produced using Heidelberg Materials’ Era 140 warm mix process, allowing manufacture at temperatures up to 40°C lower than traditional hot mix asphalt.

Reducing production temperatures lowers fuel consumption and can cut associated manufacturing emissions by up to 15%, while also improving working conditions on site and enabling quicker installation.

The footway surface course additionally included 25% reclaimed asphalt — believed to be the first time that level of recycled content has been trialled in a footway mix within Redbridge.

Significant carbon savings reported

Initial project calculations indicate that more than 75 tonnes of carbon emissions were avoided across the scheme.

According to Kenson Highways, the single largest contribution came from the use of evoZero cement, which accounted for more than 35% of the total carbon reduction achieved.

Collaboration between contractor and supplier

Heidelberg Materials regional concrete director James Moorhouse said close collaboration between the supplier and contractor teams had been critical in balancing technical performance requirements with carbon reduction objectives.

Kenson Highways director David Shelley said the scheme was specifically designed to maximise achievable carbon savings and credited Heidelberg Materials’ technical expertise and alternative product range for helping deliver the results.

The project reflects the increasing use of lower-carbon materials, recycled content and alternative asphalt technologies across UK highways maintenance programmes as local authorities and contractors seek to reduce infrastructure-related emissions.