Newsweek, on Climate, 26 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Hidden Innovations Are Making Infrastructure Greener

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.1 finding

The building blocks of tomorrow’s infrastructure are already here. Materials makers and tech companies have developed lower-carbon concrete, recycled asphalt and smarter plastics for everyday parts like pipes and cables. They’re ready to go, so what’s holding the industry back? Leaders from across the infrastructure supply chain at Newsweek 's Pillars of Stability event during Climate Week NYC 2026 said that the toolbox is ready, but the rulebook is outdated.

Innovation has turned sustainability goals into real products. Old ingredients, new recipes It starts with standard materials and a sprinkling of “fairy dust,” Patty Mishic O’Brien, chief growth and sustainability officer at Teknor Apex, told Newsweek . The company “takes a resin of material and adds the fairy dust to make it better for you,” she said. Read More on Sustainability That “fairy dust” could be anything from UV protection to higher durability or better wires and cables in data centers .

With sustainable materials and advanced technologies, the possibilities are unbound. “We're working with startups, innovative companies, to bring those materials in and marry them with our materials,” O’Brien said. Teknor Apex is working with a startup partner that captures methane, a waste greenhouse gas, and turns it into a plastic-like material. Concrete is getting the same treatment, with some help from AI . Builders want a product that is “strong, fast, sustainable, available, reliable, workable," all at once, Julius Kusuma, principal research scientist at Meta, told Newsweek .

It’s a complex ask, but with AI, Meta has created a mix that is "faster, stronger, more sustainable, and you can build it using today's available ingredients," Kusuma said. It all comes back to new technology development. “I think it’s a really exciting time because there are a lot of challenges, but also a lot of opportunities here,” Kusuma said. O’Brien shares the view. AI “can accelerate innovation. And if we're all communicating and aligned, and working together, it's just going to accelerate that even more,” she added.

What’s holding us back Despite progress on the technology side, there is caution when it comes to using alternative materials at scale. Some state transportation departments cap recycled asphalt at about 20% of the mix in new pavement, Eunice Heath, chief sustainability officer at CRH, told Newsweek . The reason is concern for the durability of the road surface, even though CRH has shown “we can put back in 40%, sometimes 60%,” creating a “35% reduction in carbon emissions,” she said.

On a more structural level, building specifications can prevent the use of green building materials. “Those specifications are made from materials of yesterday,” O’Brien said. “The innovation is there, the materials are there.” She’s not alone in her view. “We can do it today. But the permitting process is fragmented,” Heath agreed. Moving forward will mean working with government agencies to “get the changes that are needed,” said O’Brien.

It needs to happen now too, because new materials take 12 to 24 months to reach scale. If companies are to reach 2030 climate goals, they will have to start making changes today, .

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What we found (1)

Newsweek reports industry leaders at a Climate Week event saying low-carbon materials are ready but held back by outdated rules. Most claims are attributed. In places, though, Newsweek takes up the companies' case in its own voice, so the reader is told that regulation alone is the obstacle.

  1. States one side's claim as fact

    Minor

    “Now we need to get permission to use them.”

    Why this matters
    In its own voice, with "we need", Newsweek adopts the industry speakers' view that regulators are the only thing standing in the way.
    The impression it gives
    The products are proven, and the only remaining step is for authorities to grant permission.
    The context
    The article's own reporting gives a reason for the limits. State transportation departments cap recycled asphalt out of concern for road durability. The case that the rules are outdated comes from the companies selling the materials.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“The reason is concern for the durability of the road surface”
    • Elsewhere in the article“the toolbox is ready, but the rulebook is outdated”

    Show it in the article

    “but only if the regulations allow them to”

    Why this matters
    The article ends with Newsweek's own line blaming regulation, without attribution.
    The impression it gives
    Regulation is the only barrier between companies and their 2030 climate goals.
    The context
    This is the view of the CRH and Teknor Apex executives quoted. The article reports, and does not answer, the durability concern behind the asphalt caps.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Some state transportation departments cap recycled asphalt”

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “The reason is concern for the durability of the road surface”

    It gives the regulators' reason for the asphalt cap rather than presenting the cap as arbitrary.

  • “creating a “35% reduction in carbon emissions,” she said”

    The emissions figure is quoted and attributed to CRH, not stated as the outlet's own finding.

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