Displaying items by tag: Switzerland

Sweden/Switzerland: Holcim has partnered with US-based retail company Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to invest in CO₂-sequestering concrete filler developer Paebbl and 3D printers 14Trees. The Paebbl investment is part of a US$25m Series A funding round jointly led by Germany-based venture capital firm Capnamic. Holcim says that the new investment will help Paebbl to scale up. Meanwhile, 14Trees, which is a joint venture of Holcim and British International Investment, will also scale up its operations to begin 3D printing larger buildings, including data centres.

Paebbl co-CEO Marta Sjögren said "We are thrilled to welcome first movers in their respective fields, Amazon and Holcim, as first commercial partners to bring our vision to market. This funding round enables us to take even bolder steps in our mission to make the built environment a cornerstone of the decarbonised economy."

14Trees managing director Francois Perrot said "We are excited to count Amazon and Holcim as investors in 14 Trees, to take our successful 3D-printed technology from homes and schools to data centres, to deliver low-carbon and high-performance buildings."

Holcim’s chief sustainability officer Nollaig Forrest said "By investing with Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund into 14Trees and Paebbl, we can scale up these pioneering technologies to push the boundaries of sustainable building, from 3D printing to making concrete a carbon sink."

Switzerland: Chemicals producer Sika reported sales of €6.08bn in the first half of 2024, up by 9% year-on-year. The company’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 24% to €920m. During the reporting period, the company successfully integrated Germany-based MBCC. It also acquired US-based Kwik Bond and opened new production facilities in Peru and China. The company confirmed its Strategy 2028 targets for sustainable, profitable growth.

Sika CEO Thomas Hasler said "With our good operating result in the first half of 2024, we have shown that we are in an excellent position to gain market share even in challenging markets. Furthermore, our emissions reduction targets, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, have been validated by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). This important achievement underscores Sika's commitment to sustainability and its proactive role in decarbonising the construction and automotive industries."

For the full year 2024, Sika forecast 6 – 9% sales growth in local currencies and an over-proportional increase in EBITDA.

Switzerland: Holcim has acquired recycling, ready-mix concrete and aggregates company Cand-Landi Group. The company employs 250 people across its operations in Western Switzerland. Holcim plans for Cand-Landi Group to supply alternative raw materials and fuels for use at its Eclépens plant. It says that the acquisition will increase its recycling capacity of construction and demolition materials by 100,000t/yr.

Holcim CEO Miljan Gutovic said "The acquisition of the Cand-Landi Group will advance decarbonisation and circularity in Switzerland, a lighthouse market for innovation at Holcim. I look forward to welcoming all 250 employees of the Cand-Landi Group and investing in our next chapter of growth together."

Switzerland: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) equipment developer and supplier Neustark says it plans to more than double the number of its CO₂ storage sites in Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK to 34 from 14. Neustark’s process turns mineralised captured CO₂ and existing mineral waste streams into useful limestone. Building materials producers lease Neustark’s storage sites to produce reduced-CO₂ alternatives such as recycled concrete. The sites currently have a total storage capacity of 5000t. Existing customers include Holcim.

Neustark CEO Johannes Tiefenthaler said “Neustark is scaling up rapidly, and we’re well on track to achieve our aim of permanently removing 1Mt of CO₂ by 2030. Our global goal is a series of reliable, region-specific CCS facilities that can be replicated anywhere, offering immediate sustainability benefits to local supply chains.”

Switzerland: Holcim has partnered with the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich’s Block Research Group, incremental3D and Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group for the launch of Phoenix, a 3D-printed concrete bridge made using reduced-CO₂ circular technologies. The bridge employs Holcim’s ECOCycle recycled 3D-printing concrete and stands through compression, without reinforcement, reducing the volumes of materials used by 50% compared with conventional construction methods.

Holcim head of global research and development Edelio Bermejo said “I am thrilled to unveil Phoenix, a monument to sustainability and the result of a fruitful collaboration with our partners to meet a common goal: demonstrating that essential infrastructure can be designed and built in a way that is circular and low-carbon today. This project showcases the impact that innovation can have in Holcim’s mission to decarbonise building for a net-zero future.”

Spain: Holcim has introduced its EcoPact Prime concrete and mortar range, following a strong reception in other European markets, including Switzerland, Germany and France. The EcoPact Prime range is presented as a sustainable portfolio of concrete and mortar products offering a 70% reduction in CO₂ compared to equivalents based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

Manuel Barrero, director of the concrete activity at LafargeHolcim Spain, said “Decarbonisation is a fundamental pillar of our business strategy. Therefore, in our objective to develop materials and solutions that allow us to build better with less, we are going one step further by introducing this new product to the Spanish market.”

All the products in the EcoPact Prime range have their own Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). They incorporate low-emission cements, also from the EcoPlanet range, selected aggregates, additions, water, special additives and use electrical energy generated from renewable sources in their manufacture.

The products are intended for the construction of all structural elements, including beams, walls, floors, foundations or pillars, as well as self-compacting structures, those that need to drain and those that need to exhibit particular aesthetic qualities.

US: Switzerland-based Sika is starting up production at a new concrete admixtures plant at Stafford in Virginia that opened earlier in 2022. The 3950m² facility has a production capacity of 50,000t/yr and two mixers with a capacity greater than 27,000l each. The unit is intended to serve markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions along with the company’s existing concrete admixtures plant at Fairless Hills in Philadelphia.

Christoph Ganz, Regional Manager Americas said "This investment allows us to significantly expand our production capacity while creating the best possible conditions for continued growth in the North American market. Our concrete admixtures satisfy the construction sector’s most demanding requirements and make it possible to produce higher-performance, resource-saving concrete. Sika admixtures enable the realisation of critical infrastructure projects, are used in state-of-the-art high-rise construction, and help increase sustainability in megacities."

Switzerland: Holcim has announced a partnership with Norman Foster Foundation with the aim of turning emergency housing into resilient homes. The collaboration will leverage Holcim's concrete expertise to develop reusable designs. Holcim says that it will focus on innovations such as low-carbon concrete, lightweight prefabricated support structures and green cements for soil stabilisation.

Chief executive officer Jan Jenisch said “Currently, we have over 80m people who have been forced to flee their homes around the world. Emergency shelters can be more than just a roof over their head: they should offer people the dignity and safety of a home. We are excited to collaborate with the Norman Foster Foundation to put our solutions as well as our expertise in affordable housing to work to achieve this goal.”

France: Holcim has acquired six new aggregates quarries in Eastern France from FAMY Group. The group says that the quarries serve the Dijon, Lyon and Geneva, Switzerland, markets. It previously acquired new aggregates and ready-mix concrete operations in the ‘growing’ region in 2021.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said “This acquisition expands our footprint in the highly attractive Rhône-Alpes region, confirming our ambition to revitalise key urban areas from Lyon to Geneva. This expansion is in line with our strategy to accelerate green growth and play our part in Europe’s net-zero transition. Our combined businesses and improved market access will provide an excellent platform to further strengthen our range of sustainable building solutions, such as ECOPact green concrete. I warmly welcome all FAMY Group employees into the Holcim family and look forward to unleashing our next era of growth together.”