Cambridge-born technology, proven at major Cardiff manufacturing facility, turns demolition waste back into cement using the electric arc furnaces already recycling steel: no kiln, no quarried limestone, no fossil-fuel heat.
- New funding will grow production in Cardiff and create skilled green jobs
- Technology proven through multiple trials at 7 Steel UK’s Cardiff plant, with first commercial sales already secured
- Round co-led by Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures; funding will scale production in Cardiff, creating skilled green jobs in South Wales
- Participation from Development Bank of Wales, Zero Carbon Capital, Kibo Invest and Cambridge Enterprise.
Reclinker, the company turning demolition waste into low-carbon cement, has secured £10 million in Series A funding to take its breakthrough cement recycling process from successful trials to full commercial production. The round is co-led by specialist climate tech investors, Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures, with further participation from Development Bank of Wales, Kibo Invest and existing investors including Zero Carbon Capital and Cambridge Enterprise. The new funding will scale production in Cardiff bringing skilled green jobs to the area.
Cement is one of the world’s hardest sectors to decarbonise, responsible for approximately 7% of global CO₂ emissions – roughly three times those of aviation. The vast majority arise from producing clinker, cement’s key ingredient, with most of its emissions derived from the calcination of limestone and fossil fuels burned in high-temperature kilns. Reclinker’s proprietary solution, developed at the University of Cambridge and described in Nature, recovers cement paste from construction demolition and is able to turn it back into clinker inside the electric arc furnaces (EAFs) already used to recycle steel – producing new cement and recycled steel simultaneously. Crucially the process requires no kiln, no quarried limestone and no fossil-fuel-driven heat. The cementitious slag produced is expected to deliver an immediate 50% reduction in emissions with further reductions as the technology scales – at cost parity with conventional cement.
Reclinker has already made thousands of tonnes at 7 Steel UK’s site and secured its first commercial sales; those first sales tap directly into surging commercial demand. Blast-furnace slag, long used to make low-carbon cement blends, is disappearing fast as steelmakers move away from blast furnaces, leaving concrete producers short of the low-carbon materials they increasingly need. Reclinker’s product steps straight into that gap.
Reclinker’s solution has been further validated through the Innovate UK Advance Market Commitment, where large concrete users have publicly stated their intent to introduce significant volumes of low carbon materials over the next 5 years.
Beyond Cardiff, the funding will support replication across additional electric arc furnace sites in Europe and the US.
Bill Yost, CEO of Reclinker remarked:
“We are thrilled to have received backing from both our existing and incoming investors. This oversubscribed round sends a strong signal that UK investors are serious about decarbonisation. We are particularly glad this investment will support the growth of green industries in Wales.”
Stephen Price, Investment Partner at Clean Growth Fund, said:
“Cement is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, with emissions deeply embedded in both process chemistry and energy use. Reclinker’s approach is a compelling example of how industrial symbiosis can unlock meaningful emissions reductions by leveraging existing infrastructure. By integrating cement production into steel recycling, the company offers a scalable and economically attractive pathway to reducing the carbon intensity of one of the world’s most widely used materials. Clean Growth Fund is delighted to support Reclinker as it advances production scale-up and commercial deployment.”
Andrew Hinkly, AP Ventures Managing Partner said:
“Portland cement clinker is essential to infrastructure development, yet remains one of the hardest industrial emissions sources to abate. Reclinker has developed a unique, scalable, and cost-competitive route to low-carbon clinker production that can be deployed using existing steel industry capital equipment. Its ability to reduce cement emissions while consuming one of the world’s largest industrial waste streams made Reclinker a natural investment for AP Ventures in the cement sector.”
Gareth Mayhead of the Development Bank of Wales said:
“This investment demonstrates the power of co-investment in bringing innovative, high-growth businesses to Wales. By investing alongside specialist climate technology investors, we’re helping Reclinker establish and grow its presence here, building on the successful industrial trials already undertaken in Cardiff.”
Gabriella Nizam, Head of Sustainability and Public Affairs at 7 Steel UK, said:
“We have been pleased to contribute to the development of this world-first technology at our Cardiff site operations. We have been a hub for industrial innovation, leading low carbon electric arc furnace steel production for decades, and we are pleased to support projects addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues. Reclinker has demonstrated how existing steel recycling infrastructure can help unlock a lower-carbon future for cement production, creating both environmental and economic benefits as the technology scales.”
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