Expo officials said this year鈥檚 event gathered almost 58,000 registered industry professionals, more than 1,500 exhibiting companies and conducted more than 180 education sessions for contractors and builders.

With so much to see on the floor and conference rooms of the Las Vegas Convention Center throughout the week, there were countless takeaways from what is the globe鈥檚 largest concrete-centric expo.

Here鈥檚 a look at three keys from World of Concrete (WOC) 2025:

For concrete, the process is part of the product

Interior view of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2025 edition of the World of Concrete. (Image: Mitchell Keller)

A palpable feeling every year at World of Concrete is just how much this 鈥渁ge-old鈥� industry is advancing. On the exposition floor, one is surrounded by the newest mobile pumps, batching silos and world-class technology companies all with specialised products for concreting.

This year, the concrete production process 鈥� and the countless available strategies 鈥� seemed to drive as many conversations on the floor as the material itself.

And, as the industry improves its control over embodied carbon emissions and fine-tunes its creation of environmental product declarations (EPD) through life cycle assessments (LCA), some companies are touting big gains.

California-based Fortera 鈥� a materials tech company producing cementitious material 鈥� was one such company presenting at WOC.

The firm鈥檚 vice president of products, Craig Hargis, told Construction Briefing, 鈥淭he way we do that is through our ReCarb process.鈥�

Hargis said Fortera鈥檚 production procedure relies on limestone quarries for feedstock but can also use waste sources of calcium.

鈥淭he first step of that is going to be to calcine the limestone and create lime,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just traditional lime production processes.

鈥淭he next thing in our process, the re-carb process, is going to be the dissolution of that lime. So, we dissolve all the lime into our process solution, so that whenever we take it to the CO₂ absorber 鈥� and we recapture the carbon dioxide 鈥� we can then precipitate it in a reactive form of calcium carbonate.

The Fortera booth a World of Concrete 2025. (Image: Fortera)

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what鈥檚 really different about our calcium carbonates [compared to] just limestone; we have activated them and made them reactive,鈥� Hargis said, noting that鈥檚 where the product name (ReAct) was born.

In finished form, ReAct is a reactive calcium carbonate polymorph, known as vaterite, which can be blended into ASTM C150, C595, or C1157 cements or mixed into concrete during batching. The company said 鈥� when compared to projects using traditional Portland cement 鈥� that up to 70% of embodied CO₂ emissions can be eliminated. The company鈥檚 chief manufacturing officer, Keith Krugh, said he believed the company鈥檚 high-performance brand (ReAct Pure) can achieve zero and negative embodied CO₂ emissions.

And Hargis noted there鈥檚 still gains to be made.

鈥淥ur only CO₂ footprint is going to be from the fuel to drive the thermal processes like the lime calcination and the drying,鈥� he said, noting the existing natural-gas-powered method requires less heat than a Portland cement plant (450-degrees Celsius less). 鈥淏ut, also, the electricity to run the pumps.

鈥淪o, we have no chemical emission of CO₂, we totally recapture that. And that鈥檚 what allows us to achieve about two-thirds lower carbon footprint than Portland cement.

鈥淭he beauty of that though, is that鈥檚 off today鈥檚 technology, right?

鈥淥nce you electrify this process, you have a net zero cement.鈥�

Concrete remains necessary (and will for a long, long time)

Live demonstration of faux-rock sculpting at World of Concrete. (Image: World of Concrete)

A common theme among all those represented was the immense need for concrete 鈥� not just in construction 鈥� but for society as a whole.

The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), for example, delivered its assessment of US infrastructure at a WOC press conference, including a look ahead at what is needed.

ACPA 鈥� which is the world鈥檚 largest concrete trade organisation for concrete pavers 鈥� said, even though public investment from the US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was instrumental in amplifying activity in recent years, there remain considerable needs for concrete across the country.

鈥淔actors including inflation, project backlog, and DOT [departments of transportation] turnover caused IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding to not stretch as far as the industry anticipated, [which] leaves certain key needs and goals unmet,鈥� ACPA said.

It pointed to another trade organisation 鈥� the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 鈥� and its quadrennial report on US infrastructure to illustrate how some regions are barely maintaining average quality of public assets. Early grades from ASCE (it will release its full report on 25 March) have individual states receiving 鈥淐鈥� and 鈥淐-鈥� scores (of note: grades are determined by analysing multiple segments, including ones historically unrelated to concrete work).

Still, the ACPA said, 鈥淭his means it is critical for state highway agencies to prioritise better utilisation of resources as they continue to pursue their goals.鈥�

And the same can be said in the vertical built environment, where concrete foundation pours, and erection of new concrete structures, should at least maintain its current level of activity.

Dave Jackson, a senior brand manager for Oldcastle APG (including brands Sakrete and Amerimix), told Construction Briefing that the industry is seeing an increase in repair and rehab work, which could amplify the need for concrete.

(Image: World of Concrete)

鈥淎 focus on repair is a big deal, and I think we鈥檙e seeing that a lot in the industry, overall,鈥� he said at WOC.

He also noted, especially in coastal or dry regions, concrete and masonry is becoming more popular (again) as a principal product in home and residential building.

鈥淲e bang on the drum of masonry, constantly,鈥� he said, noting the wildfires around Los Angeles, California. 鈥淭he houses that survived were built with masonry and concrete.

鈥淚 think there is continued pressure where builders want to build as cheap as possible,鈥� he continued. 鈥淲e need to stop building stick houses that are built to last only 15-20 years.鈥�

Balancing concrete鈥檚 high CO₂ output with the prospect of building more durable and maintainable structures and infrastructure appears to be the industry鈥檚 ongoing quest, and one that will surely evolve over the coming years and decades.

New products, sustainably drive innovation

A B枚hringer B120 mobile concrete batch plant on the expo floor at World of Concrete. (Image: Mitchell Keller)

But Jackson wasn鈥檛 hiding from any of the harsh realities tied to the concrete industry, specifically the CO₂ emissions created by cement.

鈥淲e know it鈥檚 dirty,鈥� Jackson said point blank. 鈥淚t鈥檚 7-8% of the world鈥檚 CO₂ 别尘颈蝉蝉颈辞苍蝉.鈥�

It鈥檚 the type of transparency now abundant in the industry; concrete, cement, and aggregate manufacturers at World of Concrete were in unison on creating new sustainable products and not shying away from the negative statistics of the industry鈥檚 past and present.

Jackson said a move toward use of more Type 1L cement (Portland Limestone Cement) has been successful in curbing, foundations, paving and in some precast products while reducing CO₂ emissions by about 10%. It鈥檚 by no means on the high-end of the emissions reduction spectrum, but it鈥檚 a good base-level for a commonly used product.

He noted experimentation with different recycled additives like plastic, biologicals, and glass/pozzolan are showing even further carbon reductions, while also maintaining strength and performance.

While it may appear to be baby steps from the outside looking in, Jackson said the industry is making huge moves and delivering on more sustainable projects that are meeting strength standards.

Pricing and construction鈥檚 familiarity with traditional cement-based concrete, in Jackson鈥檚 view, are part of what鈥檚 holding back a commercial-level switch to more sustainable alternatives.

A curb rollling machine exhibit at a WOC outdoor lot. (Image: Mitchell Keller)

鈥淭he main ethos of what we鈥檙e trying to do is reteach people about concrete. There are a lot of products that are more efficient, provide faster time, labour savings, and a better end product, but they鈥檙e not going to make those material selections if they don鈥檛 feel confident in their knowledge of it,鈥� he said.

Jackson said, with a more expansive knowledge of concrete products available, contractors and builders should feel more comfortable charging appropriate prices based on the product used, while also feeling self-confident in their ability to pour and lay it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just giving folks the license to say, 鈥業 can charge more, because people will pay more because the product is better,鈥欌€� Jackson added.

ACPA expressed a similar sentiment: 鈥淐oncrete pavement offers economic sustainability along with environmental sustainability, longevity, and resilience.

鈥淚n 2025, the ACPA will continue to advocate at all levels of government for continued funding, support state highway agencies in collaborative efforts to effectively use that funding and leverage the association鈥檚 strong industry partnerships to build out the science of concrete pavement鈥檚 sustainability including the economic, environmental, and social benefits.鈥�

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