Hiding in plain sight: the conventional materials that will scale the clean economy

The energy transition needs more materials, not more emissions. While headlines about the energy transition chase lithium and cobalt, it’s steel and concrete that underpin the infrastructure shift and pose the greatest carbon risk – and opportunity. These materials are now needed to power the clean economy, from EVs and wind turbines to sustainable data centers and coastal protection infrastructure. The question is no longer ‘why decarbonize’, but ‘how to secure low-carbon steel and concrete at scale while ensuring supply chain resilience’? This session explores practical strategies to scale supply, build market confidence, and accelerate the adoption of low-carbon materials. We highlight insights into pre-competitive partnerships, procurement models, and standards alignment;all tools to reduce carbon risk, strengthen supply chains, and to ensure strategic infrastructure can meet the growing demands of the clean economy.