HEIDELBERG MATERIALS AG

Their core work

Heidelberg Materials (formerly HeidelbergCement) is one of the world's largest building materials companies, producing cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete. In EU research, they focus heavily on decarbonizing cement and lime production — the industry's single biggest emissions challenge. They contribute industrial-scale test sites, process engineering expertise, and real-world validation for carbon capture and low-CO2 binder technologies. Their participation bridges the gap between laboratory research and deployment in one of Europe's hardest-to-abate industrial sectors.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), Heidelberg Materials focused on developing alternative low-CO2 cement binders, insulating concrete systems, and initial carbon capture research for cement production (ECO-Binder, CEMCAP, early LEILAC). From 2020 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward large-scale CCUS deployment, CO2 hub infrastructure, and full carbon capture value chains (LEILAC2, ACCSESS), alongside circular economy applications like bauxite residue reuse. The trajectory is clear: from exploring low-carbon materials and capture concepts to demonstrating industrial-scale decarbonization solutions.

Heidelberg Materials is moving from research into demonstration-scale carbon capture, positioning itself as an industrial host site and end-user for CCUS technologies — expect future projects at TRL 7-9 scale.

How they like to work

Heidelberg Materials operates primarily as a participant (7 of 8 projects), acting as the industrial end-user that provides real cement plants and processes for validation, rather than leading academic research. They coordinated one project (EnDurCrete), showing they can lead when the topic aligns closely with their concrete product development. With 118 unique partners across 25 countries, they are a well-connected hub — typical of a major industrial company that attracts diverse research consortia seeking access to real production environments.

Extensive European network spanning 118 unique partners across 25 countries, reflecting the breadth of interest in cement decarbonization across the continent. Their partnerships connect them to universities, research institutes, technology developers, and fellow industrial players across the CCUS and construction materials ecosystem.

What sets them apart

Heidelberg Materials is one of the very few global cement majors actively embedded in EU research consortia, offering something most partners cannot: access to full-scale cement production lines for technology validation. Their dual expertise in both cement chemistry (low-CO2 binders, concrete formulation) and carbon capture processes makes them a uniquely valuable partner for anyone working on industrial decarbonization. For consortium builders, they bring not just technical knowledge but regulatory credibility and a pathway to market deployment that academic or SME partners alone cannot provide.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LEILAC2
  Largest single EC contribution (€5.5M) — a demonstration-scale project for Direct Separation carbon capture technology at an actual cement plant, representing the leap from lab to industrial reality.
• EnDurCrete
  The only project Heidelberg Materials coordinated, focused on durable concrete with industrial by-products — signals their strategic interest in circular economy for construction materials.
• ACCSESS
  Broadens their CCUS work beyond cement into cross-sector CO2 infrastructure (pulp/paper, waste-to-energy), positioning them within the wider European carbon capture ecosystem.