UK-based startup Concrete4Change (C4C) has been nominated for The Earthshot Prize 2024, a global initiative spearheaded by the Prince of Wales to recognise and support innovative solutions to reduce global emissions.
C4C aims to decarbonise the concrete industry by mineralising CO2 in concrete, turning concrete into the safest form of CO2 sink in the world. The technology involves a concrete additive material that acts as a carrier for CO2. The carrier is injected with CO2 captured from industry, with a particular focus on flue gas generated from cement production, resulting in concrete with significantly enhanced strength and reducing the amount of cement required.
The company has recently closed a GBP2.5m (US$3.18) seed funding round led by Zacua Ventures and Counteract. Its sights are set on a Series A round in late 2025 or early 2026 with a clear objective of penetrating five per cent of European concrete production by the end of the decade.
“Scalability challenges are typically centred on cost and availability of materials and resources in this space. We’re focusing on driving the cost curve down rapidly and using abundantly available waste materials and CO2 as feedstock for our process, which goes a long way to solving the scalability problem,” explains C4C’s founders.
