- New technology set to turbo-charge circular economy in construction by turning the world’s biggest waste stream, demolished concrete, into a carbon sink
- Neustark has already deployed 19 carbon capture and removal sites in mainland Europe and removed over 2,500 tonnes of CO2 to date
- UK market ideal due to mature supply chain and infrastructure, and government support for a competitive carbon market – but more focus is needed on carbon removal
- Strategic partnership with Aggregate Industries, part of Holcim Group, supports the decarbonisation of the local construction industry
Neustark, a Switzerland-based, leading carbon removal specialist and one of the fastest growing companies in Europe, and UK-based building materials supplier, Aggregate Industries, are introducing a new technology that permanently removes carbon from the atmosphere and locks it into recycled concrete.
The first site went into operation today in Greenwich, London and will now permanently remove tonne by tonne of CO2 in the coming months and support building projects in the local area. The site will be able to permanently store and remove 1,000 tonnes of CO2 (net) per year. This is the equivalent of the carbon sequestered by over 16,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
This is the first venture into the UK market for the Swiss cleantech start-up, which has already established 19 carbon capture and storage sites deployed in Europe to date. The site is one of the first commercially and ecologically viable solutions for permanent, onshore carbon removal in the UK.
Neustark’s innovative technology and business model captures CO2 from biomass sites, liquefies it, then injects it into existing mineral waste streams such as demolished materials to be recycled and used in construction. This utilises a process of mineralisation that stores the CO2 in the aggregate, permanently removing it from the atmosphere and creating carbonated, recycled building materials such as concrete.
As a leading supplier of materials and solutions to the construction industry, and a key player in the development of UK’s infrastructure, buildings and homes, Aggregate Industries has partnered with neustark to accelerate green growth and to provide high-quality, sustainable products to its customers. Aggregate Industries is part of the global Holcim Group, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.
The building and construction industry was estimated to account for 37% of global carbon emissions, 7% coming from the production of cement alone. This is according to a 2023 report published by the United Nations Environment Project (UNEP). While there have been efforts from the industry to decarbonise, the UK Green Building Council warned that the UK construction industry was ‘significantly off-track’ on its net zero goals at the end of last year indicating that decarbonisation rates would need to double in the coming years.
By using the carbon removal process of mineralisation, neustark and Aggregate Industries can support increased decarbonisation in the construction sector by turning demolished concrete, the world’s largest waste stream, 1 billion tons per year, into a carbon sink. Each tonne of demolished concrete can store an average of 10 kg of CO2.
The UK government signalled clear support for carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) by announcing a pledge of £21.7 billion in funding last month. However, the focus of this investment is currently on CCS, a less permanent management approach to carbon emissions, in comparison to neustark’s CO2 removal (CDR) technology. The government initiative is also tasked with building out regional technology ‘clusters’ for the development of the industry.
Valentin Gutknecht, CEO and co-founder, neustark, said: “We have already deployed 19 sites in Central Europe that capture and remove thousands of tons of CO2. By extending our relationship with Holcim and partnering with Aggregate Industries, we are now bringing this revolutionary technology to the UK.”
“The UK is an ideal market for us as it has a mature supply chain and the infrastructure we need to remove CO2 at scale. The government is supportive of building a competitive carbon market and shifting the industry away from early-stage developments to a competitive commercial set-up. But there is not enough focus on carbon removal, or consideration of how carbon removal can be embedded into existing supply chains and industries beyond oil and gas rather than always requiring extensive new infrastructure. This partnership is proof that collaboration between a cleantech start-up and global leader in building solutions can create tangible climate impact today. The rest of the construction industry should follow suit and we need to look at other applicable industries too.”
Lee Sleight, Chief Executive Officer of Aggregate Industries UK, said: “Our partnership with neustark takes the battle to reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry to the next level. Together, we can remove carbon from the atmosphere and permanently lock it into recycled concrete, which can be used again in new construction projects.
“We are excited to get this technology set up in London, where there is direct access to a huge supply of demolished concrete. And this isn’t just carbon removal, it’s a reinforcement of a circular economy enabling the reuse of a major waste stream. Once fully operational, we believe other contractors and specifiers will adopt this technology as well, accelerating their own decarbonisation journeys. Together, we can drive towards our net zero goals.”
Unlike other carbon removal technology, neustark is removing CO2 now and has already removed over 2,500 tonnes of CO2 from the earth’s atmosphere since it launched commercially in 2023. The start-up’s wider partnership with Holcim Group has resulted in the launch of first carbon removal sites in Switzerland, with others currently being built across Europe. The business is on track for rapid expansion across Europe. Building on its existing 19 sites in Europe, the business plans to bring online approximately 40 additional sites in the coming months and throughout 2025 in the region.
Media contacts:
UK: Gemma Tuck, neustark@tamarindo.global +44 7701 046500
Switzerland: Sophie Dres, media@neustark.com, +41 76 805 2111
About neustark
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C implies reaching net zero CO2 emissions in 2050 according to the IPC. Next to substantially reducing emissions, this target will only be possible by globally deploying carbon removal (CDR) solutions at the scale of billions of tons of CO2.
Neustark is a leading provider in this rapidly growing field, having developed a solution to permanently store CO2 from the air in recycled mineral waste such as demolished concrete.
Our first solutions have been deployed in Switzerland and Europe and are already capturing and storing tons of CO2 every week. We are currently scaling up our operations and carbon removal impact globally – on the road to removing one million tons of CO2 in 2030, and beyond that.
Founded in 2019, neustark AG is based in Berne, Switzerland, and is a team of around 70 people (as per Q3 2024). Together, we enable permanent CO2 storage for a bright future of all generations on our planet.
www.neustark.com | neustark | LinkedIn
About Aggregate Industries
Aggregate Industries is delivering growth through sustainable thinking. Committed to playing a significant role in enabling the UK to transition to net zero, Aggregate Industries is driving decarbonisation across the construction materials sector. With a broad, established range of low carbon solutions and a focus on the circular economy, Aggregate Industries continues to invest in R&D and innovation, working in partnership with sustainability-focused stakeholders, with the goal of becoming the UK’s leading supplier of sustainable construction materials. It is the first company to be certificated to BES 6001, The Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products, developed by the BRE (Building Research Establishment).
About Holcim
Holcim is a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions with net sales of CHF 29.2 billion in 2022. Driven by its purpose to build progress for people and the planet, its 60,000 employees are on a mission to decarbonize building, while improving living standards for all. The company empowers its customers across all regions to build better with less, with its broad range of low-carbon and circular solutions, from ECOPact to ECOPlanet. With its innovative systems, from Elevate roofing to PRB’s insulation, Holcim makes buildings more sustainable in use, driving energy efficiency and green retrofitting. With sustainability at the core of its strategy, Holcim is becoming a net-zero company with 1.5°C targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Learn more about Holcim on www.holcim.com
