On the Atlantic coast, you can see the line shifting.

The coastline is retreating. In some places, meters are disappearing, dunes are lowering, roads and utility networks are moving dangerously closer to the ocean. And inevitably, development “responds”: protective structures, reinforced seawalls, ports, quays, hydraulic works, raised platforms, infrastructure repairs… in short, concrete.

That’s where the story becomes paradoxical.

On one hand, climate change is intensifying erosion and extreme events. On the other, coastal and port areas — in France and around the world — are among the largest consumers of concrete. And the key component of concrete, cement, remains a major source of global CO₂ emissions. In other words: we build to withstand a growing risk… using a material whose “standard” version contributes to the very problem.

The point is not to assign blame, nor to “push a material.” Some infrastructure is essential: it protects lives, economic activity, jobs, supply chains, and entire regions. The real question, for public and industrial decision-makers, is what reflex to adopt when a structure is necessary.

For every coastal project, three simple questions should be asked:

1.Can the structure be avoided (managed retreat, renaturation, adaptation of uses)?

2. Can the structure be reduced (efficiency, optimization, durability, maintenance)?

3. And when building is unavoidable: why not systematically require low-carbon concrete?

It is a concrete lever, immediately actionable in specifications, without waiting for a hypothetical miracle solution. At MATERRUP Low carbon & circular cements ’ origins, this is precisely the meaning of our commitment: decarbonizing an essential material so that adaptation does not fuel the very disruption it seeks to contain.

The coastline is a zone of truth: physical constraints are visible, operational urgency is real… and carbon responsibility is measured project by project.

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The best concrete is the one that is never poured.

But when we must build and develop, we might as well do so with purpose, consistency, and the lowest possible footprint.

👉 This conviction lies at the heart of MATERRUP Low carbon & circular cements ’ origins. It has become our DNA.