Sustainability isn’t just about what happens above ground. For owners building at scale, the concrete that goes into the ground — the duct banks, vaults, and underground pathways — carries a significant portion of a site’s embodied carbon footprint. DBO’s approach reduces that footprint from the start by treating every duct bank like what it is: an engineered product, not a disposable pour.

A Smarter Way to Build Underground

Traditional cast-in-place duct banks generate unnecessary waste and emissions at every step: over-pours, rework, wet-weather cleanup, and discarded form materials. Each pour varies slightly in mix volume, cure quality, and placement efficiency.

DBO’s precast manufacturing process changes that equation. By moving production into a controlled environment, we:

  • Eliminate over-pour waste and cleanup materials.
  • Optimize mix designs for strength and thermal performance — not excess volume.
  • Use local aggregates and recycled content where performance allows.
  • Reuse forms, curing beds, and wash water.
  • Deliver exact quantities to site, reducing transportation and spoil.

The result is a measurable reduction in embodied carbon, energy use, and on-site waste.

The Numbers Behind the Difference

Our internal data — verified against NRMCA (National Ready Mixed Concrete Association) benchmarks — shows that DBO’s standard duct bank mix emits approximately 20% less CO₂ per cubic yard than the national average for cast-in-place concrete.

That reduction comes from:

  • Precision batching: every pour measured to the pound, eliminating over-yield.
  • Reused molds and forms: zero single-use lumber waste.
  • Controlled curing: lower water and energy consumption per section.
  • High-strength, low-cement mix: achieving the same compressive strength with less binder.

Add to that the elimination of on-site washout water and multiple mobilizations for small pours, and the total environmental impact per linear foot drops dramatically compared to field-built alternatives.

Less Material. Less Movement. Less Waste.

On-site efficiency is part of sustainability, too.

  • Fewer truck trips: One DBO delivery replaces multiple ready-mix loads and support equipment trips.
  • No over-pours: Each duct bank section uses only the concrete required by design — nothing more.
  • Reduced spoil and rework: Precast accuracy means no demo or patch pour waste.
  • Lower trench exposure: Faster installs mean less erosion control, dewatering, and material loss.

Every hour saved in the trench is less diesel burned, less material moved, and less carbon emitted.

Meeting Owner Sustainability Targets

Major data center and industrial owners are now requiring embodied-carbon disclosures for every concrete component. They’re tracking it the same way they track uptime and power usage — because it’s tied directly to their Scope 3 emissions targets.

DBO’s documentation provides exactly what they need:

  • Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) coming soon for standard mixes.
  • Batch-level traceability for aggregate, cement, and admixture sourcing.
  • Recycled and regional material data included in every submittal.
  • Thermal and structural optimization reports demonstrating efficiency beyond compliance.

That transparency allows our contractor partners to meet owner sustainability goals without guesswork or extra reporting burden.

Efficiency That Pays Off

The sustainability advantage isn’t just environmental — it’s operational.

  • Faster installations mean fewer days of heavy equipment idling.
  • Reduced weather exposure means fewer wasted materials from storm damage.
  • Repeatable design means less field rework and waste disposal.

Across projects, DBO’s total material and energy footprint per foot of installed duct bank has consistently come in 15–25% lower than comparable cast-in-place methods — verified through internal life-cycle analysis and owner data tracking.

Built for Today’s Standards — Ready for Tomorrow’s

The construction industry is moving fast toward lower-carbon requirements and transparent reporting.
DBO’s precast process is already there — not because we chased a certification, but because we’ve always built for efficiency, control, and repeatability. Our approach delivers what owners and contractors both need:

  • Measured performance.
  • Proven reliability.
  • Documented sustainability.

Less waste in the yard. Less waste in the field. More control over what matters most — the environment, the schedule, and the bottom line. That’s sustainable infrastructure, the DBO way.