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.
November 2025 at Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA (PACA 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 minutes to 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 October 2021, the Portland Cement Association released its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. The 38-page report outlines a comprehensive plan to make the industry's value chain carbon neutral by 2050. In January 2022, PCA further promoted the plan at the 2022 World of Concrete in Las Vegas.
The value chain begins at the cement plant and extends through the full life cycle of the built environment. What is at stake? As the report declares, “perhaps the most ambitious journey to carbon neutrality ever attempted.” Review the Roadmap’s Executive Summary here.
In 1750, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were approximately 277 parts per million (ppm). By 2019, CO2 concentrations were 410 ppm, an increase of 48%. Early on, deforestation was the primary reason. Since the mid-20th century, fossil fuels have become the primary cause. In a single year (2019) human activities released more than 36 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Nitrogen and oxygen account for 99% of a dry atmosphere. In high-humidity environments, water vapor may reduce this concentration to as low as 95%. The impact of other atmospheric gasses is impressive, given their relatively small concentrations.
Although nitrogen and oxygen do not interfere with infrared radiation reflecting out into space, carbon dioxide does. Even though atmospheric CO2 is less than 0.5% of the atmosphere, it acts like a blanket or a cap, preventing heat from radiating out into space. Even though methane, nitrous oxide, and CFCs are an even smaller part of the atmosphere, they warm it as well.
The Roadmap discusses the “5 C’s of the value chain.” They are clinker, cement, concrete, construction, and carbonation.
Clinker is cement’s key reactive ingredient. It is produced in energy-consuming, high-temperature kilns. Cement is the binder in concrete. Concrete is a resilient building material critical to a growing world. The construction phase includes all use-phase impacts.
Finally, thanks to carbonation, the built environment is a quantifiable CO2 sink. As a result, the U.N’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) now accounts for concrete carbonation in its climate reports. Over time, the amount of exposed concrete in the world increases. This increases the carbonation that absorbs CO2 from the air.
Importantly, the Roadmap takes into account the entire value chain, ”beginning at the cement plant and ending with the buildings and roads that are the foundation of our lives.”
In publishing its Roadmap, the Portland Cement Association has done more than set a goal for three decades from now. The PCA also commits to providing annual updates and setting interim goals. It also commits to building the policy support crucial to long-term success.
The roadmap also establishes interim goals for 2030 and 2040. It notes that, over time, market conditions will inevitably change. Also, technological innovation will occur and governments will alter policies. The Roadmap is subject to revision in response. Every year, PCA will publish an annual report on its implementation.
Almost every aspect of the Roadmap requires policy support for success. There’s also the reality of U.S. producers competing against less-regulated counterparts.
Since global warming is an inescapable fact; increased resilience is an inevitable need. As PCA's CEO Mike Ireland says, "Cement and concrete play a critical role in future-proofing our communities against natural and man-made disasters” He further asserts, "We are in a moment where we have both the opportunity and the duty to do so sustainably.” Success requires collaboration across the entire value chain.
While carbon pricing is not integral to the Roadmap, it is still important to consider its potential impact. PCA supports a cap-and-trade mechanism for establishing a market-based carbon price. It seeks a system that is at once fair, transparent and innovative. See p. 58 of the Roadmap.
Researchers continue to come up with new cement formulations that, collectively, can reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Increasingly, the public and private sectors require the use of building products that achieve certain sustainability goals. A 147-page report, “2022 Green Cement and Concrete Market” projects a CAGR of 7.5% for the period 2021-2026.
Compared to traditional alternatives, green cement mixes often reduce water consumption as well. Some green cement achieves reductions of 20% or more.
A post in MIT Technology Review explores progress in green cement adoption. Researchers have come up with numerous low-carbon cements and cement alternatives. Here are a few examples.
Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement
Geopolymer cement
Ferrocrete
Non-Portland hydraulic cement
Magnesium oxychloride cement
Reactive hydrothermal liquid-phase densification cement
Commercial viability is a common challenge with alternative formulations. Some are only cost-competitive in specialty applications. Some face supply chain challenges at scale.
A major exception is Portland limestone cement (PLC). It decreases cement’s carbon footprint by about 10%. Numerous cement plants are already switching to PLC.
The cement/concrete industry increasingly focuses on establishing and following green procurement standards. Going forward, it is important to view procurement through a sustainability lens. Consideration of complete lifecycles is vital as well. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will likely increase green procurement requirements.
A recent publication, “Green Public Procurement for Natural Gas, Cement and Steel,” explores the topic. Its author is Alan Krupnick, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF), a nonprofit based in Washington D.C.
Overall, the Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality reflects a proactive philosophy. It is vital to lead rather than follow in the quest for carbon-neutral concrete. At the same time, industry efforts in the United States occur against a backdrop of global efforts. A concerted and sustained effort by global industries and nations is crucial. We all share but one atmosphere.
The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) reports on innovations and sustainability initiatives. Our team welcomes questions you may have about your upcoming concrete project. Please contact us at your convenience.
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 08, 2024
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.
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.
The program is delivered in one (1) module and it should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will receive a certificate of completion once you pass the quiz. The bookmarking feature will allow you to leave the course and resume where you left off when you return.