India: Alternative binders developer CarbonStrong has raised US$1.31m in a seed funding round co-led by IAN Angel Fund and financial technology fund RainMatter. The proceeds will go towards construction and hiring for CarbonStrong’s first plant. The company is targeting a production capacity of 100,000t/yr by 2029.
CarbonStrong says that its alternative binders are capable of replacing up to 50% of cement in concrete.
UK/US: AI-based emissions registry Isometric has published a draft Low Carbon Cement Protocol for environmental attribute certificates (EACs) for cement and concrete. The protocol is designed to meet the integrity criteria of the Science Based Targets Initiative’s Corporate Net-Zero 2.0 standard. Isometric will hold a consultation on the draft until 21 September 2026.
US: The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has appointed Melissa Verwest as its senior director of sustainability programmes. Verwest will be responsible for initiatives including Environmental Product Declarations and Concrete Sustainability Council certifications, reporting to NRMCA senior vice-president of codes and standards Shamim Rashid-Sumar.
Verwest joins the NRMCA from concrete, aggregates and asphalt producer Knife River Corporation, where she served in roles including sustainable materials programme lead. She previously worked for Oldcastle Infrastructure and Coffman Engineers. Verwest holds a master’s degree from Washington State University in Pullman, US, and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, US, both in Civil Engineering. She has chaired the NRMCA Promotion Committee's sustainability subcommittee and has been an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane for the past 15 years.
US: 350 ready-mix concrete mixer truck drivers at CalPortland sites in Northern California have returned to work and ratified a new one-year contract, following the conclusion of a two-week strike.
The Teamsters union, representing the drivers, said that the new contract implements ‘vital increases’ to their wage and health benefits. Global Concrete has found no statement forthcoming from CalPortland on the matter.
