Holcim has invested in Sublime Systems, a leading low-carbon cement technology start-up, to expand its range of highly-engineered solutions to decarbonise building at scale, according to a Holcim statement.

The partnership will advance Sublime’s first commercial manufacturing facility in Massachusetts, USA, giving Holcim a large share of Sublime Cement™ produced there through a binding off-take reservation. The two partners have established a dedicated project team to co-develop further facilities to scale up and commercialise Sublime Systems’ technology for swift market deployment.

Nollaig Forrest, Holcim's chief sustainability officer, said: “The Sublime Systems team has developed a unique technology to decarbonise cement, cutting across the entire production process from the use of clean electricity to carbon-free raw materials. We are excited about this technology’s potential and are delighted to be partnering to bring it to market at scale. This investment advances our strategy to decarbonise construction by scaling up the most innovative technologies across our operations.”

Dr Leah Ellis, CEO and co-founder, Sublime Systems: “In the cement industry, scale is everything. We are proud to collaborate with Holcim who supports our mission of swift and massive impact. By pairing Sublime’s technology with Holcim’s advanced global operations from manufacturing and logistics to commercial distribution, we can scale up our impact together.”

Based on a proprietary CO2-free electrochemical system, Sublime Systems uses clean electricity and carbon-free raw materials for cement production. After its first successful market applications, The company is currently building a commercial-scale manufacturing plant to produce 30,000tpa of cement as of 2026. Holcim’s investment adds to a recent award it was selected for by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED).