World’s first commercial-scale carbon-storing floor slab produced

A partnership between the materials company Holcim and materials innovator Paebbl has produced the first commercial-scale floor slab made from ready-mix concrete that stores carbon.

The slab covered 420 square metres and was installed at an e-commerce warehouse in Germany. In the concrete mix, 15% of the Portland cement was replaced with a proprietary material called Rebond, which stores carbon.

It took less than six months to develop the slab production technology from the laboratory to a commercial-scale concrete flooring pour.

The concrete slab construction technology reduces its carbon footprint whilst meeting the same performance standards as traditional concrete, including setting time, finishing and strength. The project demonstrates that using decarbonised materials in concrete flooring does not mean compromising performance.

Ana Luisa Vaz, VP of products at Paebbl, said:

“This project shows what becomes possible when a material innovator, a building materials and solutions provider, and a general contractor align around a shared ambition. The result is a concrete floor with permanently stored carbon, and we believe this model can inspire the entire industry.”

In Brent Cross Town, a recent housing development achieved a UK first by replacing 30% of traditional cement with calcined clay sourced from brick waste to reduce carbon emissions. Property developer Related Argent encourages the wider adoption of calcined clay concrete throughout the home-building sector.

These German and UK examples highlight a shift towards low-carbon cement alternatives in construction projects, showing that low-carbon concrete can seamlessly integrate into commercial construction workflows.