Prince William visits Low Carbon Materials to see how they’re decarbonising construction

On a visit to Low Carbon Materials on Tuesday 30 April, our Founder and President Prince William was shown how they create their innovative, low-carbon construction material alternatives. He was also updated on the exciting work that the company has been able to undertake since becoming a 2022 Earthshot Prize Finalist.

Low Carbon Materials (LCM) was founded by three Material Science PhD students with the vision of becoming a world leader in low-carbon and environmentally friendly construction materials.

Recognising the role and dependency on concrete within our built environments, which is responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, Low Carbon Materials set out to develop products with the potential to drastically reduce emissions within the construction industry.

At LCM’s Research and Development lab, the Prince was shown how the company creates and tests concrete samples containing its flagship product OSTO®, a carbon negative alternative to other lightweight aggregates. It was also an opportunity to learn more about how LCM are incorporating waste CO2 into their products, helping to further reduce their carbon footprint.

Since becoming an Earthshot Prize Finalist, Low Carbon Materials have been able to expand their work further, developing new products and building partnerships to help accelerate their mission to decarbonise the construction industry. This has included a major partnership with National Highways to help reach their commitment to reaching net zero emissions from construction and maintenance activity by 2040.

During his visit, His Royal Highness heard more about the partnership, and LCM’s new product, ACLA®, developed with National Highways, and supported by Skanska, which enables the production of net zero asphalt that absorbs carbon as it is produced. This innovation will help to lower the carbon footprint of our roads, with ACLA® being used for the first time in a road resurfacing project in County Durham in March 2024.