The Problem:
Cement is a key ingredient in concrete and is widely used in almost all types of constructions. But the cement and construction industry are facing two significant problems.
First, the cement industry emits 3 Giga tons of CO2 every year, contributing to 8% of global carbon emissions.
Second, construction activities in Singapore excavate more than 10 million tons of waste marine clay, annually. This clay is hard to use due to its poor mechanical properties and is expensive to dispose of. The Solution:
Our team came up with this innovation that upcycles the waste marine clay into green cement. It can transform the large quantities of local waste into green construction materials. More importantly, our production process requires much less energy and reduces the carbon footprint by up to 70%. So, the two significant problems are tackled in one go. The Differentiator:
Currently, Singapore imports 100% of the building materials used, including cement. So, our local cement product is an important first step in creating supply resilience.
Secondly, our green cement is a repurposed application of the excavation waste, demonstrating that circular economy can be achieved in Singapore.
Thirdly, our green cement has 70% less embodied carbon but priced similarly to normal cement. This will help our customers to reduce Scope 3 emissions without additional cost.Biggest Achievement:
Our innovation has drawn vast interests. More than 20 companies and public agencies approached our team to discuss collaborations, and four of them have expressed interests in using our green cement.
Our team are honored with the excellence award by Singapore Concrete institute for this innovation.
Circrete is one of the highlighted teams on the latest GRIP 9 Lift-of-day, reported by The Straits Times. Our innovation was featured by Channel News Asia in 2021. 
