In the future Lammi manufactures only low-carbon products – research work behind the change

The almost 70-year-old family-owned company took a big step forward in its sustainability efforts by switching to low-carbon products only during the autumn. The change has a direct impact on the carbon footprint of the company's products. The reduction in carbon footprint achieved varies from product to product, with a maximum reduction of up to 53%. A move to fully low-carbon products is rare in the sector, as the majority of companies in the concrete industry currently offer low-carbon products only as an option alongside conventional products.

Responsibility programme and LOIKKA project behind the change

In 2022, Lammi established a sustainability programme, which has made the company's sustainability work more systematic and goal-oriented. Carbon-neutral construction is one of the four priority areas of Lammi's sustainability programme. To promote carbon neutrality, in 2022-2024 Lammi was involved in the LOIKKA project between Aalto University and five concrete industry companies, focusing primarily on the use of blast furnace slag to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from concrete.

'In March 2022, the two-year LOIKKA project, a joint project between Aalto University and five companies in the concrete industry, was launched, focusing primarily on the use of blast furnace slag to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from concrete. Blast furnace slag is a by-product of the steel industry and a highly efficient concrete binder that can be used in large quantities in concrete production. Thus, blast furnace slag can also be used to significantly reduce emissions from concrete production,' says Jouni Punkki, Professor of Practice at Aalto University.

No compromise on quality 

The Lammi CO2-Loikka project ultimately tested 6 different types of blended cement and a total of 17 different recipe combinations between 2022 and 2024. In the summer of 2024, the selected low-carbon binder combination met all the requirements the company had set for its products. In addition to dimensional accuracy and standard strength tests, the company had its new products subjected to long-term durability freeze-thaw tests, as well as M1 indoor air emission tests. The results were so good that the company decided to further optimise the manufacturing recipes and reduce the total binder content. Despite this change, the tests show that the final formulations of the products are at the same level as before - even slightly better in terms of final solubility.

'When I was contacted by Lammi after the Loikka project and was told that the company was not only offering low-carbon products as an option, but was moving to a fully low-carbon production process, I was pleasantly surprised. It is great that the research results of the Loikka project have been fully implemented and that Lammi is showing the way for the whole sector,' says Jouni Punkki about the low-carbon transformation of Lammin Betoni.

Read Lammin Betoni full press release on the company's website (in Finnish): www.lammi.fi/medialle/

Read more about Loikka project (in Finnish): www.aalto.fi/fi/rakennustekniikan-laitos/loikka