Capital Equipment News March 2024

ROADMAKING

Detailing climate-neutral road construction Machine manufacturers and construction companies around the globe are currently searching for ways to achieve the goal of climate-neutral construction. The challenge here is to successively reduce CO2 and other harmful greenhouse emissions around the world to zero over the coming decades. Dr Günter Hähn, CEO of Wirtgen GmbH and Dr Markus Bach, Project Lead Sustainability for Wirtgen Group, look at how this can be achieved. I n the road construction sector, this transformation is inextricably linked to improving and further developing production and working processes. In the future, machines and con social aspects all play a critical role. Governments around the world, civil society, and private enterprises are called upon to contribute to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals set out in Agenda 2030. Above and beyond such demands, the Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, and Kleemann will increase the availability of machines powered by hybrid or fully electric drive systems by 2026. In addition, all Wirtgen Group product

struction materials will also be assessed based on the climate-harmful emissions arising from their production and use. However, the focus should not be on individual machines but on the entire process leading up to the finished product – a road. Road construction targets In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Agenda 2030. With the agenda, the global community aims to enable people on all continents to live a life in dignity and conserve vital natural resources sustainably. Economic, ecological, and

brands, including Benninghoven, will offer machines and plants that can be operated with non-fossil or climate-neutral fuels. Last but not least, the digitalisation of machines will significantly contribute to process optimisation and, in turn, lead to further reduced harmful emissions. Holistic approach To realise the most significant possible reduction of overall emissions, the efforts of all players along the road construction process chain must be focused on the same. The key question is: “How can we construct or rehabilitate roads with

construction industry already faces specific on-site requirements for using non-fossil fuels or deploying machines with local zero emissions – for instance, in the Nordic nations. In light of this and their obligations to future generations, many leading players in the construction sector and numerous small and mid-size companies are setting their own goals to mitigate climate change. As a leading manufacturer of road construction machines, the Wirtgen Group has also set concrete goals for its realisation over several steps. For example,

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