Innovate UK and partners launch an Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to accelerate next-generation low-carbon concrete

Designed to speed up development and commercialisation, this AMC is paving the way for UK concrete innovation adoption.

An AMC is a promise to buy an innovative product before it is widely available in the market. By sending a strong demand signal, these commitments unlock investment and help innovators move from prototypes to full scale production much faster.

“This Advance Market Commitment exemplifies Innovate UK’s mission to drive economic growth by supporting businesses to develop new ideas,” said Dr Stafford Lloyd, Innovation Lead, Clean Growth Strategy at Innovate UK, which alongside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Carbon Limiting Technologies, celebrated the public launch of the AMC for next-generation low-carbon concrete.

“It is a bold, collaborative effort to create a market for sustainable solutions before they are fully commercialised, sending a clear signal to innovators that their efforts will be met with demand and providing an essential component in unlocking investment in scale-up companies.”

The launch event in London brought together leaders from construction, infrastructure, finance, and government to celebrate the first signatories of the AMC.

Funded by DESNZ, the programme’s inclusion in the Autumn Budget demonstrates the government’s commitment to decarbonising construction, supporting UK innovation, and driving economic growth.

Underpinning almost everything we build, concrete is strong, reliable and affordable, but it carries a large carbon cost. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of CO2 in the world, after China and the US. Without faster scale-up and adoption of next-generation concretes, the sector risks falling short of Net Zero targets and facing shortages of low-carbon concrete in the years ahead.

Addressing delegates, Industry Minister, Chris McDonald said, “We want to make the UK a world-leading producer of reliable, low-carbon cement and concrete. While demand is uncertain and risks are high, we need to do more to back innovation and scale up these new technologies. That’s where Advance Market Commitments are so useful.”

How Advance Market Commitment works

In construction today, demand for low-carbon concrete is weak because the products are not available in sufficient volumes and their performance and commercial viability is not yet proven. AMCs are an effective instrument to overcome this impasse; they were successfully deployed to speed up vaccine development and are now being tested in carbon capture and clean shipping.

In the next-generation low-carbon concrete AMC, concrete users sign up for time-limited commitments to purchase concrete from producers that can verify that their products meet carbon reduction targets and technical and commercial standards.

The initial target is to secure commitments for up to 500,000 cubic metres of novel, low carbon concrete. This demand can unlock the tens of millions in investment needed to set up the first commercial production facilities. This approach means earlier carbon savings, faster cost reductions, and gives the UK an opportunity to lead in next-generation construction materials and methods.

Programme supporters

Crucially, the AMC brings together cross-sector partners and stakeholders to ensure innovations can make it to market successfully. At the launch, Chris Arnold, Procurement Category Manager at Scottish Water, announced his support for the programme, signalling the supply chain’s appetite to move together to reduce risk for early adopters and innovative companies.

Chris said: “We are delighted to be the first signatory to the Advance Market Commitment for Low Carbon Concrete, which is hugely significant in enabling the decarbonisation of concrete. Concrete is a significant contributor to Scottish Water’s carbon emissions and the adoption of new innovative low carbon concrete products is a key step forward towards decarbonising construction practices and enhancing the sustainability and resilience of our infrastructure supply chains.”

Joining Scottish Water as the first signatories to the AMC are eight other organisations:

• Heathrow
• AtkinsRealis UK
• Derwent London
• Ramboll
• JN Bentley
• Mott MacDonald
• Buro Happold
• BAM

Nigel Milton, Heathrow’s Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, said:

“Heathrow’s modernisation and expansion plans require hundreds of thousands of tonnes of concrete. Signing this advance market commitment sends a clear signal to innovators and suppliers: we are looking for practical, scalable solutions that cut carbon emissions across our construction projects.”

The launch also set out next steps, including an invitation for further organisations to sign up to the AMC and a call to action for investors and insurers to help future solutions scale so that the market becomes self-sustaining. To learn more and get involved, visit the Advance Market Commitments programme page.