The Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced the tech start-ups who will work with global cement manufacturers on developing low carbon concrete
Four firms – Canada’s EnviCore, American start-ups Queens Carbon and Chement and New Zealand-based NeoCrete – were shortlisted in 2023’s global Innovandi Open Challenge.
They have now reached agreements with at least five GCCA member firms to support and evaluate their technologies.
The four start-ups will receive access to the cement manufacturers’ plants, labs, networks, expertise and infrastructure to accelerate the development of low carbon concrete solutions.
Each of them will also showcase their technologies and progress as part of a demo day on 6 June at the GCCA CEO Gathering & Leaders Conference taking place in Bangkok, Thailand.
Cutting emissions from the world’s most used manmade material
After water, concrete is the most abundant resource in the world. It has been in use for thousands of years, from the Roman Coliseum and Pantheon (which remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world) to modern homes, roads, tunnels and bridges.
However, as the world’s most used manmade material, concrete currently accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions.
The GCCA has made the development of new materials and technology are key elements of its 2050 Net Zero Concrete Roadmap.
Claude Loréa, the GCCA’s cement, innovation and ESG director, said: “Developing low carbon concrete is a challenge, as we will need something both scalable and ultimately affordable.
“Innovation is the key and it’s great to see the start-ups agreeing partnerships with manufacturers. The GCCA and our member companies really look forward to working closely with each start-up to take their ideas to the next stage.”
A further 29 start-ups have been shortlisted for this year’s Innovandi Open Challenge, which will work on the further development of Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage technology.
