New funding includes equity investments and
multi-year pre-paid offtake of Sublime Cement ™
Holcim and CRH, two of the largest global
building solutions companies, each separately commit to working
with Sublime to deploy the technology in full-scale cement plants;
accelerated co-development activities have already commenced
Broad collaboration from industry leaders
validates Sublime’s technical and product approach, and ensures
swift deployment of Sublime’s technology for decarbonizing
cement
Low-carbon cement technology leader Sublime Systems is
accelerating its mission of swift and massive impact on global CO 2
emissions through unprecedented collaborations with two of the
largest building materials providers, CRH and Holcim. The
partnerships support near-term development and operations of
Sublime’s first commercial manufacturing facility in Holyoke, Mass.
with a corporate equity investment and a binding offtake
reservation of the Sublime Cement™ produced there, while laying the
foundation for a rapid expansion of full-scale manufacturing plants
with Sublime’s technology once the Holyoke plant is complete.
The historical process for manufacturing ordinary portland
cement (OPC), the most common type of cement used globally today,
involves heating limestone, a mineral that is roughly half CO2 by
weight, in kilns powered extensively by fossil fuels, running at
about 1,450°C. Founded in 2020, Sublime Systems is commercializing
breakthrough, “true-zero” technology that avoids both mineral and
fossil fuel emission sources. Its electrochemical process runs at
near-ambient temperature and uses clean electricity and carbon-free
inputs to produce reactive cementitious ingredients that are highly
engineered for an optimally performing cement in concrete.
“If Sublime is to have a swift and massive impact on climate
change, our breakthrough technology must be paired with
manufacturing operations, logistics, and distribution —
areas the building materials leaders excel in,” said Sublime CEO
and Co-Founder Dr. Leah Ellis. “Holcim and CRH each bring unique
strategic advantages and expertise in the industry, and these
partnerships offer Sublime an unparalleled opportunity to scale our
technology with the urgency the climate crisis requires.”
The investment from these partnerships will fund construction of
Sublime’s first-commercial facility in Holyoke, expected to open as
early as 2026. It follows an up to $86.9 million investment Sublime
was selected for by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean
Energy Demonstrations (OCED), which will fund up to 50% of the
Holyoke plant construction. Holcim’s and CRH’s binding cement
reservations further accelerate the use of Sublime Cement™ in
construction projects and build on prior reservations Sublime has
secured from customers across ready-mix concrete producers, general
contractors, renewable energy developers, and infrastructure
owners.
Sublime’s Holyoke plant will retire scale-up and commercial risk
to advance its technology to cost and scale parity with today’s
cement industry, whose plants typically produce at least one
million tons of material per year. CRH and Holcim will individually
collaborate with Sublime to co-develop those future true-zero
plants in multiple geographies. Sublime's technology reflects
cement manufacturing innovation that can scale globally, beyond the
decarbonization solutions currently available today in
supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and carbon capture,
utilization, and storage (CCUS). Holcim’s and CRH’s partnerships
with Sublime each reflect their respective corporate ambitions to
becoming net-zero by 2050.
Holcim’s portfolio of decarbonization technologies ranges from
innovative low-emission raw materials like calcined clay and
recuperated decarbonized cement paste from recycled construction
demolition materials; all the way to decarbonized energy, with 15
sites already operating at more than 80% alternative fuels. It is
currently developing six large-scale CCUS projects, engineered to
produce 8 million tons of decarbonized cement per annum by 2030.
And through Holcim MAQER Ventures it works with hundreds of
startups to scale up the most innovative technologies in the built
environment.
Its Chief Sustainability Officer Nollaig Forrest stated,
“Sublime is a disruptive force in cement making. Its unique
technology cuts across the entire production process, from the use
of clean electricity to carbon-free raw materials. We are excited
about its potential and are delighted to be partnering together to
bring it to the market at scale. This investment is fully in line
with Holcim’s strategy to accelerate the decarbonization of
construction by scaling up the most innovative technologies.”
CRH has already brought several innovative new low carbon cement
products to market using a variety of secondary cementitious
materials including calcined clays and Ground Granulated
Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) which reduce the volume of carbon
intensive clinker in cement. The company continues to make progress
on its absolute CO2 emissions reduction target of 30% by 2030. It
has approximately 400 research projects underway at its Innovation
Centre for Sustainable Construction (ICSC) and through its $250
million venturing and innovation fund CRH is accelerating
investment in new technologies and innovative solutions to reduce
operational carbon in products, buildings, and infrastructure.
Eduardo Gomez, Head of CRH Ventures, said, “This investment in
Sublime demonstrates CRH’s commitment to supporting breakthrough
technologies and driving forward innovative low-carbon solutions
for the built environment. Sublime’s differentiated technology and
ability to scale, combined with CRH’s expertise and footprint
across North America and Europe, offers significant potential to
dramatically decarbonize cement production.”
Sublime is in active commercial discussions with additional
strategic partners across cement, concrete, construction, chemical
manufacturing, renewable energy, and more. To inquire about a
strategic partnership with Sublime or opportunities to use Sublime
Cement™, contact partnerships@sublime-systems.com.
About Sublime Systems
Sublime Systems is on a mission to have a swift, massive, and
enduring impact on global CO2 emissions by decarbonizing cement.
Unlike net-zero solutions that rely on carbon capture or removal,
Sublime's fully electrified, “true-zero” approach avoids the
industry’s legacy fossil-fueled kilns and limestone feedstock.
Sublime’s electrochemical process instead extracts reactive calcium
and silicates from an abundance of raw materials at ambient
temperature, to make ASTM C1157-compliant Sublime Cement™, a
drop-in replacement for ordinary portland cement in concrete.
Sublime was founded at MIT by Dr. Leah Ellis and Prof. Yet-Ming
Chiang, both respected experts in materials science,
electrochemical systems, and sustainability research. The company
has raised over $200M in funding from leading climate tech
investors, global cement incumbents, and cooperative agreements
with the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, IEDO, and OCED award
programs. It currently operates a Somerville, MA-based pilot plant
with a >250 TPY nameplate production capacity and is developing
its 30,000 TPY first commercial facility to open in Holyoke, MA as
early as 2026. Learn more at sublime-systems.com.
About Holcim
Holcim is a global leader in innovative and sustainable building
solutions with net sales of CHF 27.0 billion in 2023. Driven by our
purpose to build progress for people and the planet, our 63,448
employees are on a mission to decarbonize building, while improving
living standards for all. We empower our customers across all
regions to build better with less, with a broad range of low-carbon
and circular solutions, from ECOPact and ECOPlanet to our circular
technology platform ECOCycle®. Through innovative systems, from
Elevate roofing to PRB insulation, Holcim makes buildings more
sustainable in use, driving energy efficiency and green
retrofitting. With sustainability at the core of our strategy, we
are on the way to becoming a net-zero company with 1.5°C targets
validated by SBTi.
Learn more about Holcim on www.holcim.com, and by following us
on LinkedIn.
Sign up for Holcim's Building Progress newsletter here and
follow our journey to a net-zero future
About CRH
CRH (NYSE: CRH, LSE: CRH) is the leading provider of building
materials solutions that build, connect and improve our world.
Employing approximately 78,500 people at approximately 3,390
operating locations in 28 countries, CRH has market leadership
positions in both North America and Europe. As the essential
partner for transportation and critical utility infrastructure
projects, complex non-residential construction and outdoor living
solutions, CRH’s unique offering of materials, products and
value-added services helps to deliver a more resilient and
sustainable built environment. The company is ranked among sector
leaders by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating
agencies. A Fortune 500 company, CRH’s shares are listed on the
NYSE and LSE.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240924382577/en/
Erin Glabets Head of Communications
media@sublime-systems.com
FischTank PR sublime@fischtankpr.com
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