Could Living Concrete Redefine Materials Sourcing?

The procurement function could face significant changes in how concrete materials are sourced, evaluated and contracted as self-healing technologies move closer to commercial viability.

Archaeological discoveries in 2023 at Pompeii, alongside research from north American institutions, indicate that self-healing concrete and engineered living materials may transition from experimental development to supplier quotations by 2035.

For procurement professionals, category managers and supply chain directors, these advances could require new supplier qualification criteria, revised technical specifications and fundamentally different total cost of ownership models.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, construction workers were repairing a house in Pompeii.

The site, excavated by international researchers in 2023, preserved completed walls, half-built structures and raw materials. Admir Masic, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says: "literally a time capsule."

The findings, published in December 2024 in the journal Nature Communications, provide the clearest evidence of mixing processes that ancient Romans used to create concrete capable of lasting more than 2,000 years.

For procurement teams managing construction materials spend, the implications could extend beyond product specifications to supplier relationships, contract terms and lifecycle value assessments.

Emerging supplier technology landscape

Modern self-healing concrete research has progressed considerably since American researcher Carolyn M. Dry introduced the first concept in the early 1990s.

Traditional concrete can mend small cracks when water triggers leftover cement in a process known as autogenous healing, but this approach is slow and limited to narrow fissures.

This limitation drove researchers to develop autonomous healing systems that could address the costly problem of concrete degradation.

Mouna Reda, post-doctorate fellow, and Samir Chidiac, professor of civil engineering, both at McMaster University, are researching the optimum geometrical and mechanical properties of capsules compatible with surrounding concrete.

"In winter, Canada's roads, bridges, sidewalks and buildings face a familiar problem: cracks caused by large temperature swings," Mouna and Samir say:

"These cracks weaken infrastructure and cost millions to repair every year."

The research has explored both biological and chemical mechanisms. In 2006, Dutch microbiologist Hendrik M. Jonkers developed concrete that uses bacteria to heal cracks.

When moisture enters a crack, spores activate and produce calcium carbonate through microbiologically induced calcite precipitation, healing cracks up to one millimetre wide.

Chemical-based alternatives, using healing agents like sodium silicate stored in protective mediums such as vascular networks or tiny capsules, can repair larger cracks and work faster than bacteria-based approaches.

Supplier qualification and performance criteria

A team at Montana State University has developed an engineered living material that combines mycelium, the root-like threads of fungus, with bacteria that convert chemicals into stone.

The study, published on 15 April 2025, demonstrates that this material stays alive for at least a month and could eventually replace portions of conventional concrete in buildings and infrastructure.

The team used the fungus species Neurospora crassa, guiding its mycelium to fill moulds and form porous, bone-like blocks. These fungal structures were soaked in a solution containing urea, calcium and the soil bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii.

The microbe breaks down urea and forms calcium carbonate, cementing the scaffold into a stiffer structure while both organisms remain alive for at least four weeks.

Procurement strategy and commercial considerations

The cement industry is estimated to cause around seven to eight% of global CO₂ emissions, making it a focus for regulatory pressure and client sustainability requirements.

For procurement professionals, materials that can be produced near building sites, regrown for repairs or recycled could require revised sourcing strategies that prioritise local suppliers and different logistics models.

Category managers handling construction materials budgets may need to reassess total cost of ownership calculations when evaluating autonomous healing systems. The capsules being developed at McMaster must survive concrete's harsh mixing conditions while rupturing upon cracking, a technical challenge that could influence supplier selection criteria and quality assurance requirements.

For procurement teams developing technical specifications, these technologies could signal a shift towards performance-based contracts that measure material behaviour over decades rather than initial compliance testing alone. Supply chain professionals may need to establish new supplier qualification processes, whilst commercial teams could face negotiations around entirely new product categories and pricing models.

The construction procurement function's exposure to these emerging materials is likely to increase as organisations seek to reduce whole-life costs and meet increasingly stringent carbon reduction targets through strategic sourcing decisions.