The linear economy, or one-time use, of concrete in construction leads to a scarcity of resources and more waste at every step in the journey of that concrete material. Whereas the circular economy allows for many benefits. Explore the Sika Sustainability Circle to learn how Sika enables circularity in the concrete lifecycle.
What is a Circular Economy?
In a linear economy model, the material has a new purpose and can no longer be brought back to its original use in new concrete production.
However, within a recycling economy, old concrete may be recycled and reused within new concrete production. This is already being done in the concrete industry.
Ultimately, we strive for a circular economy, where there is no waste at all in the concrete production and recycling process.
Benefits of Circular Economy
By moving towards a circular economy in concrete construction, several advantages arise:
Less concrete waste in landfills
Less raw materials used
Less CO2 emissions
Less energy consumption
Solutions for the Entire Value Chain of Concrete
Our commitment to sustainability (SBTI) and our more than 100 years of experience in developing products and services for the concrete value chain make Sika the right partner for your circular economy.
With the Sika Sustainability Circle, we connect the circular economy with the concrete value chain to provide solutions.
Click on the circular graphic below to learn more. Click on the home button to get back to the start.
Returned Concrete
Fresh concrete which is sent back in the truck mixer to the concrete batching plant.
Either the concrete does not meet the order specifications in terms of quality when it arrives at the construction site (e.g. because of loss of workability due to an unscheduled extension of the transport time), or because an incorrect order was placed.
This also includes quantities of concrete that were ordered in excess.
It is assumed that globally up to 4% of the concrete will be returned.
Link to learn more about Sika® Stabilizer-180 RCA and Sika® Stabilizer-RTC 323 coming soon...
Washing Water
Washing water from batching plant, truck mixers and concrete pumps needs to be treated as wastewater, since it has a very high pH and contains cement and aggregates particles.
Link to learn more coming soon...
Maintain
During the service life, concrete structures can lose aesthetic or geometric appearance, or even decrease their structural integrity and therefore, their durability. With an appropriate maintenance program including repairing, protecting or even strengthening, they can maintain and/or extend their service life.
Protect
Reinforced concrete structures are built to serve many generations to come. However, concrete faces many threats of natural deterioration, damages and reinforcement corrosion. Depending on their location and use, concrete structures are subjected to a wide range of exposure conditions, such as:
- normal atmospheric carbonation
- aggressive influences in polluted urban and industrial environments
- marine atmosphere and liquid or gaseous chemicals
- influencers that can damage or attack the concrete and embedded steel reinforcement
Reuse
Future concrete structures will be more modular and durable to increase the reusability of individual concrete components. This will allow a longer lifetime of the concrete and thus less waste.
Link to learn more coming soon...
SikaGrind®
Cement additives to enable the use of supplementary cementitious materials - SCM in cement production and for energy-savings during the grinding process.
Sika CODE
Service procedures to analyze sand problems, clarify causes and offer effective solutions.
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Sika Sand App
Computer vision-based tool that makes real-time sand analysis of concrete aggregates via smartphone camera.
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Sika Sand App Webpage - link coming soon
Sika’s Path to Net-Zero (SBTi)
In 2022, Sika committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Science Based Targets initiative. So, Sika's admixtures and additives are on track to become greenhouse-gas neutral.
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"Making Concrete A More Sustainable Building Material" White Paper
Sika Mix Design App
The app enables users to create cost-effective, high-performance, and environmentally optimized concrete types.
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Sika Mix Design App Webpage - link coming soon
Sika LCA Calculator
Life cycle assessment of concrete types to create environmentally optimized mix designs integrated in the Sika Mix Design App
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Sika Admixture EPD Calculator
Specific (not generic) assessment for Environmental Product Declaration certificates
Link to learn more coming soon...
Sika Concrete Academy
Multi-level technical training program for Sika salespeople to become concrete experts for advising stakeholders along the concrete value chain for cost, performance and environmentally optimized concrete.
Publicly available learning content is available in the Sika Knowledge Center.
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Knowledge Center Articles for Concrete
Concrete Admixtures Solutions Webpage
Sika Portfolio Management
Full-range approach to cover all market maturity levels and all concrete types and application methods, enabling the production of cost, performance and environmentally optimized concrete for all situations.
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How to Make Concrete More Sustainable Webpage
Concrete Admixtures Solutions Webpage
Sustainable Solutions for Concrete Brochure
Making Concrete A More Sustainable Building Material Whitepaper
SikaFiber® Software
Free software tool for engineers to calculate the type and dosage of SikaFiber® for a slab-on-grade application of concrete
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Sika VisCO2Design
Modularity-based design platform for concrete superplasticizers to meet all customer requirements in terms of sustainability, differentiation and profitability
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Sika VisCO2Design Webpage - link coming soon
Sika® ViscoCrete®
Superplasticizer of the latest technology for water reduction and cement reduction in concrete production
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Sikament®
Superplasticizer for water reduction and cement reduction in concrete production
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SikaPlast®
Strong plasticizer for water reduction in concrete production
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Sika® Plastocrete®
Plasticizer for water reduction in concrete production
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Sika® Plastiment®
Plasticizer for water reduction in concrete production
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Sika® Stabilizer-180 RCA
Sika® Stabilizer-RTC 323
Admixtures to stabilize returned concrete and enable the use of wash water as mix water. It can be added into the truck mixer the previous day together with washing water or returned concrete, allowing the reuse of these for new concrete production and thus avoiding disposal.
Link to learn more about Sika® Stabilizer-180 RCA and Sika® Stabilizer-RTC 323 coming soon...
Sika ViscoFlow®
Maintaining workability of concrete for a long time without delaying stripping time
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Sika® Retarder
Cement hydration control to stabilize the workability of concrete mixes
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SikaTard®
Cement hydration control to stabilize the workability of shotcrete base mixes
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SikaFiber®
Fiber-reinforced concrete can offer sustainability benefits compared to traditional steel reinforced concrete, such as improving resource and energy efficiency, lowering the cumulative CO2 emissions and improving building efficiency.
Sika® Separol®
Mold release agents for long service life of concrete formworks and high-quality concrete surfaces.
The use of these products leads to smooth, dense concrete surfaces with improved durability and aesthetic appearance.
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Concrete Auxiliary Products Webpage
Concrete Product Range for Building Contractors Webpage and Video
Sika® Antisol®
Concrete surface treatment after pouring for high-quality (crack-free) concrete
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SikaRapid®
Acceleration of concrete strength development to increase efficiency in concrete processing and to reduce energy requirements for precast elements (less steam-curing) or to enable concreting in cold climates
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SikaRapid® Technology Brochure
Sika® Rugasol®
Concrete surface retarder for efficient connection of connecting joints and exposed aggregate concrete structures
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Sika® Stabilizer Pump
Viscosity modifiers for pumped concrete to reduce pump pressure, which increases pump length and reduces equipment wear (less friction)
Link to learn more coming soon...
Sika® Sigunit®
Accelerators for sprayed concrete (shotcrete) for the excavation stabilization in tunneling and mining or trench / slope stabilization in civil engineering
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SikaControl®
Durability enhancement of concrete structures by shrinkage control (fewer cracks), water tightness (less water penetration) and frost and freeze / thaw salt resistance
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SikaFume®
Durability enhancement of concrete structures by increasing abrasion and chemical resistance
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Sika® Ferrogard®
Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures are a preventive means of protecting steel reinforcement from corrosion and thus extending the service life of concrete structures.
By placing a cathodic protection system into the concrete, it is possible to reverse the corrosion current that naturally occurs in the concrete. This sacrificial metal (anode) inserted into the concrete will ensure that the steel rebar stays passivated inside the concrete, extending its durability and service life.
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SikaFiber®
Fibers help extend the durability of concrete by controlling the plastic shrinkage cracking while the concrete is weak. Fibers also offer passive fire resistance in extreme temperatures, which decreases the dangerous effect of explosive spalling.
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Sikagard®
Concrete protective coatings prevent premature damage in concrete created due to the exposure conditions and other chemicals by protecting the concrete and the embedded steel rebar.
Sika MonoTop® / SikaTop®
Repair mortars are specifically designed for restoring or replacing the original profile and function of the damaged concrete. They help to repair concrete defects, improve appearance, restore structural integrity, increase durability and extend the structure’s longevity.
SikaGrout®
Often, grouts are used to repair buildings or concrete structures and restore their structural integrity or aesthetics, thereby adopting the same function as concrete repair mortars.
Sika® CarboDur® / SikaWrap®
Carbon fiber can be used for structural strengthening of buildings and concrete structures, whether they need repairs (concrete/steel are damaged and must be replaced), must withstand increased loads due to changing use, or comply with stricter safety regulations.
Sikadur®
Structural epoxy adhesives allow the repairing and strengthening of concrete structures together with steel plates or bars to prolong the service life of buildings and infrastructure.
Sika KSM/ KOM
Key Specifier and Key Owner Management - consulting and supporting designers and owners in specifying sustainable solutions in the design phase to improve the durability of concrete structures during their service life.
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Sika® ViscoCrete®
Superplasticizers specially developed for individual recycling aggregate compositions with specific performances in terms of strong water reduction and surface coverage.
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SikaControl®
Shrinkage reducing agent. Recycled concrete tends to shrink more than conventional concrete. SikaControl® reduces shrinkage and thus the formation of cracks.
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Sika reCO2ver Concrete Recycling
Pioneer technology to close the loop from linear to circular economy, resulting in recovery of premium aggregates and carbon dioxide sequestration.
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Sika reCO2ver Concrete Recycling Webpage
Sika reCO2ver Admixture
Admixture for the specifically demanding requirements of recycling fines, i.e. achieving suitable workability and enhanced strength and durability, despite low cement content of the fines in the paste.
Products in development - coming soon...
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