NEC News

Under the title “Concrete Destruction: Costs and Damages of the Concrete and Cement Industry and the Future of Construction”, the 150-page study analyzes the ecological and social challenges of concrete production through numerous graphics and detailed case studies. The publication was written by a research team including Tom Ackers, Conrad Kunze, Paulina Orozco, Nils Urbanus, and Matthias Schmelzer from Europa-Universität Flensburg, and was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

In their foreword, Ulrich Brand and Stefan Thimmel describe concrete as “the material from which the imperial mode of living is made.” Concrete production is responsible for eight to nine percent of global CO₂ emissions. The study also addresses environmental destruction, labor conditions, and international conflicts linked to the cement industry.

Published in the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s “Studies” series, the report further discusses alternatives to resource-intensive construction practices and explores perspectives for a socio-ecological transformation of the building sector. The publication appeared in May 2026 and is available both as a full English edition and as a shorter German version.

Here is the German-language short publication, which can also be ordered as a printed booklet.

Here is the original English study.