Cement is responsible for 8 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions. The following innovations rethink how this building block can be redesigned for a healthier world.

EcoBlox
Nova Terra

Produced using by-products of excavation—sand and clay fines—these blocks offer an alternative to concrete and are manufactured locally in Colorado.

Biochar concrete
Holcim

Holcim developed a new circular, carbon-negative concrete formulation that uses biochar, a process that involves heating organic waste in the absence of oxygen to lock in carbon permanently.

Coastalock
ECOncrete

Designed to bolster marine biodiversity, this concrete uses a bio-enhancing concrete composition alongside science-based molds and textures to support the ecological uplift of infrastructure.

BioPOZZ
Solid Carbon

BioPOZZ uses biochar technology to create an alternative supplementary cementitious material that sequesters carbon and replaces some of the cement in a concrete mix.

GateLite
Wells

GateLite is a lightweight, resilient facade system that reduces cement content by 40 percent in comparison with the standard counterpart.