Holcim’s Ecocycle technology has been named a “beacon of the circular economy in the built environment”, according to a press release. This was announced as part of a joint initiative by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the World Economic Forum at its annual meeting in Davos. The award recognises pioneering solutions that demonstrate a novel, unique approach to the circular economy, proven and substantial impact of high value, and significant scale and maturity.
Holcim already operates over 100 of its Ecocycle recycling centres. According to their own figures, they recycled almost 7 million tonnes of construction waste into new building solutions in 2022. This corresponds to over 1,000 lorry loads per day. This network is to be expanded to 150 locations by 2030. In Europe alone, the Group plans to recycle over 20 million tonnes of construction waste. Ecocycle makes it possible for concrete, cement and aggregates to contain between 10 and 100 per cent recycled demolition materials without compromising on performance.
“With our advanced recycling of demolition materials, we can already reduce the carbon footprint of cement by up to 40 per cent,” Holcim’s Head of Sustainability Nollaig Forrest is quoted as saying. “This is just the beginning. With our innovations and partnerships along the entire value chain to further develop building standards, we want to accelerate the transition to circular construction in all the urban centres in which we operate.”
