Holcim Invests in Low-Carbon Cement Technology Startup

Holcim has invested in Sublime Systems, a low-carbon cement technology startup, to expand its range of highly engineered solutions to decarbonize building at scale.

The partnership will advance Sublime’s first commercial manufacturing facility in Massachusetts, giving Holcim a large share of Sublime Cement produced there through a binding offtake reservation. The two partners have established a dedicated project team to co-develop further facilities to scale up and commercialize Sublime Systems’ technology for swift market deployment.

“The Sublime Systems team has developed a unique technology to decarbonize cement, cutting across the entire production process from the use of clean electricity to carbon-free raw materials," said Nollaig Forrest, chief sustainability officer, Holcim. "We are excited about this technology’s potential and are delighted to be partnering to bring it to market at scale. This investment advances our strategy to decarbonize construction by scaling up the most innovative technologies across our operations.”

Based on a proprietary CO₂-free electrochemical system, Sublime Systems uses clean electricity and carbon-free raw materials for cement production. After its first successful market applications, the startup is currently building the commercial-scale manufacturing plant to produce 30,000 tons of cement per year as of 2026. Holcim’s investment adds to a recent award it was selected for by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

Holcim has the broadest range of decarbonization technologies in its industry to execute on its 2030 and 2050 1.5°C-aligned net-zero targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. The company has 12 sites operating at 80% fossil fuel-free energy and is currently developing six CCUS projects, engineered to produce 8 million tons of decarbonized cement per year by 2030. Through Holcim MAQER Ventures, it works with hundreds of startups to scale up the most innovative technologies in the build environment.