Helping Launch Start-ups

Holcim accelerates sustainable construction in the third edition of Holcim's Start-up Accelerator Program.

Holcim is one of the largest integrated suppliers and manufacturers of building materials and solutions in Australia and New Zealand. The business is immersed in the challenges of building solutions for a sustainable future and taking responsibility for the impact its products have on our planet. With innovation and sustainability at the heart of everything they do, Holcim launched the Holcim start-up Accelerator Program in 2018, dedicated to speeding up low-carbon innovation along the construction value chain. The program is open to start-ups from around the world, challenging them to accelerate sustainable construction with their disruptive solutions. Each participant is invited to apply for one of nine Accelerator country challenges that best match their start-up criteria.

This year the challenges encompassed a range of global opportunities that work towards the world's transition to net zero. These included:

• Social housing in Columbia. • Data management in the USA. • Bio-based Concrete Solutions in France. • Smart building designs in Switzerland. • Sustainable building materials in Canada. • Carbon prestressed concrete technology in Germany. • Circular economy systems in the UK. • Reuse demolition waste such as slag in Mexico.

Looking closer to home, the Australian construction industry is equally embracing Net Zero Goals by 2050. The challenge is to find material solution to reduce CO2 footprint of concrete that contribute to these goals. Australian Steel Mill Services** (ASMS) through its partnerships with Australasian (iron & steel) Slag Association and Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living have used co-products such as steel slag to significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of concrete using alternative binder systems. Trials conducted demonstrate the system can be used without any technical challenges and possess the strength and stability to that of traditional construction materials available on the market. **Our member the Australian Steel Mill Services (ASMS), which is 50/50 owned by Cement Australia and Levy in the United States. Cement Australia is a 50/50 joint venture between Holcim and Hanson.

The intensive 6-month program is conducted over a virtual platform, granting world-class access to a powerful mix of business and technical expertise across different markets and geographies. CEO at Holcim, Jan Jenisch emphasises the importance of the Accelerator program explaining, "At Holcim, we work with hundreds of start-ups around the world to accelerate innovation for sustainable construction. The Holcim Accelerator Program allows us to connect with the world's brightest minds to drive disruptive breakthroughs," she said.

The third edition of Holcim's Start-up Accelerator Program is well underway, running from May to November 2022, with start-ups presenting their work during Holcim's Demo Day from the 13 - 15 December 2022, in the hope that inspiring ideas and solutions are produced to shift gears in the construction industry.

It is programs like this that fosters the co-creation of innovative solutions and the pioneering of new technologies that ultimately accelerate our world closer to a circular economy.