Special Issue: Concrete Sustainability

Sustainability is the most important keyword for the 21st century. Taking into consideration future population increase and the economic growth of developing nations, the technologies we have today alone can no longer satisfy human needs, and besides, significant climate change is inevitable. As this means that it will be difficult to maintain the current global environment on a long-term basis, it is vital that all industries take the necessary action to ensure its sustainability. The concrete and construction sector is engaged in developing infrastructure essential for human socioeconomic activities, while consuming an enormous amount of resources and energy. We must exert efforts to realize a sustainable society by changing our current technological system. While fortunately we have already made a step forward by taking various actions in this regard, it is vital for us to further promote such activities. Against the background of these heightened concerns, Japan Concrete Institute held the 1st International Conference on Concrete Sustainability (ICCS13) in Tokyo, Japan in 2013. This special issue lists the selected excellent papers presented in ICCS13. We hope that new developments will result from this special issue.