Engineering
Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete vs. Asphalt Highway Pavements
Quick fact
A life cycle assessment can reveal that concrete pavements, despite having higher initial CO2 emissions, can sometimes be the more sustainable choice over 50 years because they last longer and need less maintenance than asphalt.
Why this is interesting
You’ve probably heard that concrete is worse for the environment than asphalt, but is that the whole story? The answer depends on counting every impact from raw material to decades of use and eventual recycling.