Holcim UK supplies biochar-based concrete to Canary Wharf Group

UK: Holcim UK is supplying net-zero CO₂ concrete that incorporates biochar and spent coffee grounds to property developer Canary Wharf Group (CWG) for use in its developments, in collaboration with a collective of academic and civil engineering entities. The producer says that it is also experimenting with other ingredients, including graphene. It previously supplied trial pours at CWG's Bank Street and Wood Wharf construction sites in 2025. One trial involved a mix with embodied emissions of -14 kgCO₂e/m³.

Holcim UK ready-mix concrete product development director Jasen Gauld said "By optimising the biochar-coffee mix, we have achieved net zero concrete – a Holcim first – while maintaining strength, durability, and circularity. Where increased binder might otherwise have been needed, our products can remove that requirement, reducing overall embodied carbon. At the same time, the carbon in the biochar is locked into the concrete, allowing buildings to fulfil a new role as long-term carbon stores, keeping CO₂ safely out of the atmosphere."