Reclinker raises £10M to turn demolition waste into cement
What's the deal? Reclinker, a Cambridge-born startup turning demolition waste into low-carbon cement, has raised £10 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Clean Growth FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and AP VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with participation from the Development Bank of WalesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Kibo InvestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Zero Carbon CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Cambridge EnterpriseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2022, Reclinker recovers cement paste from construction and demolition waste and converts it back into clinker inside electric arc furnaces already used to recycle steel. That produces new cement and recycled steel at once, with no kiln, quarried limestone, or fossil-fuel heat.
The company says its process delivers an immediate 50% cut in cement emissions, with further reductions as it scales, while targeting cost parity with conventional cement.
Why now? Reclinker has produced thousands of tonnes at 7 Steel UKDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Cardiff plant and secured its first commercial sales, moving the technology past the demonstration stage. The new funding will scale production in Cardiff, create skilled jobs in South Wales, and replicate the technology at electric arc furnace sites across Europe and the US.
"This oversubscribed round sends a strong signal that UK investors are serious about decarbonisation," said chief executive officer Bill Yost.
By the numbers: Cement accounted for about 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency, with direct emissions intensity broadly unchanged in recent years. The agency says deep cuts will need alternative raw materials, clinker substitution, and carbon capture.
Reclinker targets the clinker-production stage while addressing a second problem: as steelmakers abandon blast furnaces, the blast-furnace slag long used to lower cement emissions is disappearing. Reclinker aims to turn demolition waste into a replacement.
The signal: Reclinker enters a growing field rethinking cement. UK rival Material Evolution raised £15 million in Series A funding for low-carbon cement made from industrial waste, underscoring investor appetite for one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.
Read more: Tech Funding News, reclinker.com
Image credit: Reclinker (previously Cambridge Electric Cement)
