Heidelberg Materials and Arup have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance decarbonisation in their respective industries.
The two organisations will explore the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS)-enabled cement and concrete production and supply.
As part of the MoU, the two companies will partner in joint research cooperation and technical analysis of the opportunities to deploy CCS.
“The global built environment is a significant contributor to climate change and action is needed now to decarbonise critical building materials production,” Arup chief sustainable development officer Dame Jo da Silva said.
“Carbon capture and storage technologies will play an important role in reducing emissions from hard-to-abate industries, including cement and concrete. Heidelberg Materials’ first-mover investment in industrial-scale carbon capture at its Brevik facility in Norway is a notable step forward.”
It comes as Heidelberg Materials gets set to make its Brevik CCS facility in Norway will be the “first CCS plant in operation at scale”. The facility will also support Heidelberg Materials’ supply of evoZero, which is a carbon-captured cement and concrete.
The agreement between Heidelberg Materials and Arup builds on their previous collaboration in 2024. That partnership enabled both companies to examine the sustainable benefits, technical complexities, and value of carbon-capturing cements and concrete.
“Decarbonising our industry is an urgent and monumental task and can only be achieved in close collaboration between the most important players,” Heidelberg Materials chief sustainability and new technologies officer Dr Katharina Beumelburg said.
“Our know-how and pioneering role in CCUS, combined with Arup’s techno-economic and strategic expertise when it comes to reducing emissions in the global built environment create a perfect fit. We’re excited to join forces and make a real difference together.”
