Holcim, Paebbl and Goldbeck Launch Carbon-Storing Concrete Project
Holcim has partnered with Paebbl and Goldbeck on the first commercial-scale use of a carbon-storing supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in a major construction project in Germany.
The innovative material, known as Paebbl Rebond, was incorporated into Holcim’s EPD-certified concrete and used to build the foundations of a large logistics centre for a global retailer in southern Germany.
Paebbl Rebond uses accelerated mineralisation technology to convert captured CO2 into a stable mineral powder composed mainly of magnesium carbonate and silicon dioxide. The process mimics natural mineralisation while permanently storing carbon within the construction material itself.
The SCM replaces part of the traditional cement content in concrete, helping to reduce embodied carbon while actively sequestering CO2.
According to the companies, the concrete floor slab mix achieved a 15% reduction in cement use compared with a standard CEM II/B-M reference mix. Across the 420m² project area, the material permanently stored 886kg of CO2 through mineralisation.
Bengt Steinbrecher, Head of Holcim MAQER Ventures — through which Holcim has invested in Paebbl — said the project demonstrated how emerging low-carbon technologies can be rapidly scaled through collaboration across the construction value chain.
The project progressed from concept to implementation in just six months and included laboratory testing at the Holcim Innovation Center in Lyon. Holcim South Germany also carried out plant trials to assess concrete workability, air content and bleeding behaviour before commercial deployment.
Holcim and Paebbl additionally worked together to produce a verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for the concrete, supporting transparency around the product’s environmental performance.
The initiative marks an important step in Holcim’s strategy to expand sustainable construction solutions and accelerate the adoption of carbon-storing building materials across the industry.
