Can the construction sector go zero emissions? An EIC podcast on the challenges and pathways
- ›The European Innovation Council released episode 4 of its podcast series exploring whether a zero emissions construction sector is achievable.
- ›The episode features Franc Mouwen, EIC programme manager for architecture, engineering and construction, and Adital Ela, CEO of EIC-supported Criaterra.
- ›Construction is responsible for about 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and requires combined technical, regulatory and market changes to decarbonise.
- ›Decarbonisation levers include low carbon materials, circular design, prefabrication and digitalisation, but industry fragmentation, standards and cost barriers remain.
- ›The EIC provides funding and scaling support for deep tech innovators but policy, procurement and finance reforms are essential to translate technology into sector-wide emissions reductions.
Can the construction sector go zero emissions? An EIC podcast on the challenges and pathways
The European Innovation Council published the fourth episode of its podcast series The game changers, which looks at how deep tech moves from idea to market. Episode four focuses on the construction industry, a major contributor to climate change. The show brings together an EIC programme manager who oversees support for construction technologies and a founder of an EIC-backed start up that is developing low carbon construction materials.
Who appears in the episode and why it matters
Why the construction sector is pivotal for climate goals
The podcast underlines a simple but often overlooked fact. Construction and the built environment account for roughly 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. That figure combines emissions from producing materials such as cement and steel, from construction activity itself, and from the operational energy used in buildings over decades. This makes the sector both a large emitter and a hard sector to decarbonise because buildings have long lifecycles and projects are fragmented across many stakeholders.
Key technical concepts explained
Practical levers, expected impact and barriers
| Decarbonisation lever | Typical emissions impact | Main barriers to adoption |
| Material substitution and low carbon binders | High for embodied carbon in new builds | Standards certification supply chain scale and cost |
| Circular reuse and recycling of components | Medium to high over lifecycle | Logistics deconstruction practices and market for reused parts |
| Prefabrication and modular construction | Medium via waste reduction and efficiency | Upfront capital costs design fragmentation and transport |
| Energy efficient design and retrofit | High for operational carbon | Split incentives between owners and tenants and funding |
| Digital design and optimisation | Variable depending on implementation | Skills gaps and integration across stakeholders |
The European Innovation Council role and instruments
The EIC supports deep tech projects across stages from early research to scaling. Its instruments include Pathfinder for high risk research, Transition grants to move technologies closer to market, the Accelerator to fund and invest in scaling companies and the EIC Fund which co invests with private capital. The EIC also offers business acceleration services such as coaching mentoring and access to corporate partners. The podcast is part of the EIC s outreach to connect innovators with expertise and funding.
What will make sector wide change possible
The podcast makes clear that technology alone is not sufficient. Policy action procurement reform and finance mechanisms will determine whether low carbon solutions scale. Public procurement that values whole life carbon can create demand. Clear regulation and standards on embodied carbon would reduce uncertainty. Carbon pricing and green finance can shift investment calculus. Training and new business models are also essential to overcome fragmentation in the industry.
A cautious outlook and practical recommendations
A net zero construction sector is technically possible over time but is not an automatic outcome of innovation. Promising companies like Criaterra show material level progress but evidence on lifecycle performance long term durability and large scale cost competitiveness is still emerging. To turn pilot projects into industry wide change policy makers procurement agencies investors and clients must align incentives and accept short term trade offs in cost or supply chain complexity.
Where to hear the discussion
The episode is part of the EIC s podcast series The game changers. It is presented as a practical conversation between an in house programme manager and an EIC supported entrepreneur. Listeners interested in concrete technologies or funding options should take the podcast as a starting point and seek the primary technical documentation and pilot results from companies before accepting claims about emissions reductions.
The episode highlights the scale of the task and the kinds of innovation and policy change that will be required. It also illustrates the role of EU innovation programmes in seeding promising solutions while reminding listeners that systemic change will need coordinated public and private action.