Strategic partnership between ETH Spin-off Oxara, KIBAG and Holcim to decarbonise concrete and binders
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Oxara, KIBAG and Holcim Switzerland are excited to announce their collaboration to scale up the production and distribution of Oxacrete Oulesse® , the patented cement-free binder developed by Oxara. By merging innovation, technical expertise, industry experience and market reach, this partnership aims at making Oxacrete Oulesse® widely available to the Swiss construction market. This marks a significant milestone in the official market entry of Oxacrete Oulesse® and its potential to transform construction by reusing demolition materials and fostering a circular economy. When adopted, this innovative approach will significantly reduce the environmental impact of building materials and serve up to 10% of the Swiss concrete market.
The power of collaboration and a growing partner ecosystem
Cement production contributes to approximately 5% of Switzerland's annual greenhouse gas emissions. The collaboration between Oxara, KIBAG and Holcim exemplifies the critical need for scalable, circular, and decarbonised technologies. Having validated the solutions offered by the Oulesse® technology and evaluated its market potential, Oxara, KIBAG and Holcim are acting together as first movers to plan the official market entry.
KIBAG, one of Oxara's initial partners, is a leading company in the Swiss construction materials and services sector. Known for its expertise and innovation, the company also advocates sustainability through its KIBECO brand. KIBECO is a platform dedicated to developing a new era of construction materials in collaboration with startups, significantly reducing carbon-emissions and enforcing a circular economy. According to CEO of KIBAG Christoph Duijts, “this collaboration underlines the commitment to fostering sustainable practices within the construction industry.”
As one of Switzerland's leading providers of innovative and sustainable construction solutions, Holcim also emphasises the importance of the partnership with Oxara and KIBAG. Holcim can rely on more than 30 years of experience in circular economy and closing resources cycles and sees itself as an engine of circular economy in Switzerland. “This partnership represents a further step towards the realization of our sustainability goals”, says Clemens Wögerbauer, Head Commercial and Sustainability of Holcim Switzerland. “We have visionary and innovative partners at our side who fit perfectly with our mission: circular economy combined with decarbonization.”
Addressing environmental challenges in construction
The introduction of Oxacrete Oulesse® comes at a pivotal time for the construction industry, which is increasingly seeking solutions to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance resource efficiency. By utilising construction demolition waste, Oxacrete Oulesse® not only promotes material reuse but also offers a decarbonised alternative to traditional cement, contributing to the circular economy and mitigating the environmental impact of construction activities.“The combined expertise and resources of our partners will enable us to scale our technology effectively, making sustainable construction practices more accessible and impactful across the Swiss market. Together, we aim at achieving resource efficiency and contributing to achieve Switzerland's Net Zero goals”, say Gnanli Landrou and Thibault Demoulin, co-founders of Oxara.
Contact Media Relations:
Oxara: media@oxara.ch
KIBAG: medien@kibag.ch
Holcim Switzerland: communications-ch@holcim.com
About Oxara AG
Oxara AG, a Spin-off of ETH Zurich, was founded in 2019 by Dr. Gnanli Landrou and Dr. Thibault Demoulin. The company develops and produces patented admixture and binder technologies aimed at decarbonising and promoting the circular economy in the building materials industry. Oxara's cement-free technology enables the reuse of waste materials, such as excavation material and demolition waste, transforming them into low-carbon concrete and blocks. By eliminating cement, these building materials achieve a CO2 reduction of up to 90% compared to conventional materials. The company's vision is to enable sustainable construction and affordable housing while preserving natural resources and biodiversity and combating climate change. Currently, Oxara employees have expertise in chemistry, engineering, architecture, and material sciences.
About KIBAG Holding AG
Founded in 1926, KIBAG is a leading Swiss company in the construction materials and services sector. The company operates gravel plants, quarries, concrete plants, and construction companies specialising in road and civil engineering. Additionally, KIBAG includes several recycling and disposal companies and leisure service providers, employing approximately 2,000 people. As a family-owned company, KIBAG focuses on qualitative growth and independence through reinvestment. The company prioritises customer benefit with innovative building materials, construction services, and environmental solutions. Guided by free market principles and responsible behaviour towards people and nature, KIBAG is renowned for its expertise, reliability, and efficiency in the Swiss construction industry.
About Holcim (Switzerland) AG
Holcim (Switzerland) AG is one of Switzerland's leading providers of innovative and sustainable construction solutions in the fields of building materials for the construction, civil engineering and infrastructure industry. The company produces concrete, gravel and cement at 55 locations throughout Switzerland and recycles demolition materials into resource-saving products. Sustainability is at the centre of its business activities: as a pioneer in the development of sustainable solutions, Holcim Switzerland has set itself the goal of producing climate-neutral and fully recyclable building materials by 2050. To achieve this vision, Holcim is focussing on circular economy and reducing CO2 along the entire value chain. Holcim Switzerland is a subsidiary of the globally active Holcim Ltd. and employs around 1500 people.