The leading voice for the crushed stone, ready mixed concrete, sand and gravel, and cement industries' community.
PELA is a 10-month hybrid program with online and in-person educational sessions and networking opportunities.
Careers in the Aggregates, Concrete & Cement Industries
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) is the industry’s unified voice, representing more than 200 member companies across the state.
Creating a unified and strong voice for our industry.
PACA monitors and analyzes local, state and federal regulations and advocates for a balanced approach by the regulators.
PACA builds a bridge between our members and our partners at PennDOT, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission along with Pennsylvania’s construction industry to further the use of our materials to the benefit of the commonwealth.
One of the most effective tools in government relations for an industry is a robust advocacy/grassroots strategy.
In the last legislative session, we contributed over $275,000 to our political champions.
April 23-24, 2025 in State College, PA (Members only event).
PACA offers comprehensive concrete certification programs for ACI, NRMCA, and PennDOT in the central Pennsylvania area.
Membership has its privileges - most of PACA's events are open to PACA members only.
PACA conducts numerous education and training events during the year.
Choose concrete for your next parking lot project.
Streets built with concrete are built to last, consider concrete for your next project.
Concrete's strong, resilient and the choice for your next building or bridge.
PACA works with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) to convert your parking lot or building project to concrete without hurting your bottom line.
PACA drives a member-approved strategic plan to increase market share and engages specifiers and owners on the value of concrete in their projects.
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30-60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.
In the quest for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, everyone has a role to play. In the concrete industry, this includes everyone from manufacturers to contractors, and from trade associations to governments. Here is a review of some of the major initiatives impacting concrete’s sustainability.
The Portland Cement Association (PCA) released its "Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality" in 2021. It cites opportunities to reduce emissions at five steps: Clinker, Cement, Concrete, Construction, Carbonation. The PCA refers to these as the “5 Cs.”
The Report’s Executive Summary states, “The PCA Roadmap involves the entire value chain starting at the cement plant and extending through the entire life cycle of the built environment to incorporate the circular economy.” The goal is to seek contributions to carbon neutrality in every phase of the value chain.
ConcreteZero is a major program of the Climate Croup, an international non-profit founded in 2003. The organization maintains offices in New York City, London, New Delhi, Beijing, and Amsterdam. Its membership rolls include more than 500 global companies in 175 international markets.
ConcreteZero is a global initiative of forward-thinking organizations promoting net zero concrete. It is a product of a partnership between the Climate Group and the World Green Building Council.
Participants commit to various emissions targets over the coming decades. “Businesses that join ConcreteZero commit to using 100% net zero concrete by 2050, with two ambitious interim targets of using 30% low emission concrete by 2025 and 50% by 2030.”
Executive Order B-55-18 requires California carbon neutrality by 2045. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 596 in September 2021. It requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to seek ways to reduce emissions. reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 40% below 1990 baseline levels by 2035. The bill further requires the industry to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
The Achieving Carbon Neutrality in California Report “examines potential energy system and technology transformations to achieve carbon neutrality.” Scenarios examined suggest the potential for significant reductions in direct emissions by 2045. Compared to the 1990 baseline, they are: High CDR (80%), Balanced (87%), and Zero Carbon Energy (92%). Each scenario embraces a “high electrification” approach.
The “Net Zero by 2050” mantra reverberates across all industrial sectors. At the same time, it is important to contemplate to what degree this high standard is achievable. In some instances, net zero emissions depends on technology not yet perfected, scaled, or even invented yet.
On the other hand, technological innovation accelerates. Sensors deliver massive amounts of data analyzed by powerful computers. Industry 4.0 – the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution – perfects production processes. Now, in the 2020s, artificial intelligence (AI) injects hope for further advances.
In November 2022, the World Economic Forum published “Circularity: A key enabler to reach net-zero in cement and concrete.” The report discusses key sources for reduced emissions.
It is imperative that architects and engineers give sustainability its due during the design process. This is possible in a variety of areas:
Modular design that focuses on the need for adaptable, flexible spaces
Refurbish existing structures to reduce the demand for new
Embracing closed cycles of use and reuse
Circularity also requires a transition to low-emissions products whenever it is feasible. For example, by 2050, alternate fuels like biomass could meet 40% of the cement industry’s energy needs. Increased use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) reduces the need for high-emissions clinker.
It is possible to inject carbon dioxide (CO2) into concrete mixes to sequester it. This increases hydration while enhancing strength. In a segment that aired December 7, 2023, Boston’s WBUR reported on the country’s first commercial-scale, direct-air-capture (DAC) plant.
The Tracy, CA, facility offers a modest capacity of 1,000 tons of CO2 per year. Stacked trays of powdered limestone remove CO2 from air passing through the plant. Robots move the trays to a kiln where heat separates the carbon from the limestone. This allows for reuse of the trays. Renewable energy powers the process.
Nova Scotia’s CarbonCure developed a method for infusing concrete mixes with CO2. It has already delivered 800 of its systems in 35 countries. Collectively, these installations have already sequestered more than 379,000 metric tons of CO2. A cement plant in San Jose, CA, is one of those installing the CarbonCure tech in the United States.
At the end of the concrete’s service life, breaking it up increases the surface area exposed to the air. This amplifies carbonation, removing additional CO2 from the atmosphere in the process. Researchers continue to look for ways to amplify CO2 uptake by crushed concrete.
The industry’s quest for net-zero concrete continues. A recent McKinsey report cites promising developments in:
Cutting emissions by reducing use of clinker in Portland cement
Sequestering carbon dioxide in concrete, simultaneously strengthening it
Developing carbon capture technologies for cement plants
Cost is inevitably a challenge as new technologies emerge. For example, McKinsey estimates that “building low-emissions cement production capacity and installing CCUS equipment” could increase costs by 45%. Ideally, technological refinements, government incentives, and scaling combine in the assault on cost.
The Pennsylvania Aggregate and Concrete Association (PACA) is your source for the latest industry news. The team at PACA welcomes questions about your upcoming concrete projects. Please contact us for assistance.
February 22, 2024
Proficient carbon calculations are increasingly important as “Buy Clean” legislation proliferates. New York and Colorado are among the states that now require carbon calcs for public projects. An estimated 40% of emissions are from the built environment. According to one estimate, the planet’s total building floor area will double by 2060. This makes the concrete industry a key player in the quest for net-zero emissions products and projects.
February 15, 2024
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) notes that cement production is “so carbon intensive that even though cement makes up less than 15% of concrete by weight, it accounts for 90% of concrete’s carbon footprint.” The use of fossil fuels to fire cement kilns is a key source of these carbon emissions.
February 01, 2024
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) requires high-temperature calcination of limestone. It is possible to use various emissions-reducing pozzolans in concrete. Fly ash comes from coal-fired power plants. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) comes from steel mills. Another SCM is metakaolin derived from kaolin.
December 08, 2023
Cement kilns are a two-pronged source of carbon emissions. Traditionally, fossil fuels heat cement kilns to the required temperatures. In turn, this heat breaks down limestone and other carbonate-rich materials, releasing carbon dioxide in the process. To monitor the process, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires cement plants to comply with its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).
This program provides free continuing education to the design and specifying communities. There are currently four courses available, ranging from 30-60 minutes focused on the cement, aggregates and concrete industries. You'll receive a certificate of completion once you pass a quiz. The bookmarking feature allows you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return