Solar Impulse Foundation and Holcim launch partnership to implement clean and efficient technologies for the construction industry

Reinforcing Solar Impulse Foundation's mission to accompany businesses in finding cleaner ways of pursuing their activities, the Foundation and Holcim, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, have signed a partnership agreement. The partnership puts into action their joint commitment to implement clean and profitable technologies that protect the environment.

The Solar Impulse Foundation and Holcim will actively work together to identify clean technology solutions for the building sector and promote their application wherever possible. The partnership comes at a crucial moment for Holcim, committed to leading the industry's efforts to build a net-zero future. With cement considered a hard-to-abate sector that accounts for almost 8% of global CO2 emissions, Holcim represents a high-leverage partner for the Solar Impulse Foundation, whose success in implementing clean and efficient solutions will benefit the planet. An example is Holcim's global range of green cement that enables low carbon construction at scale. Accelerating the shift from traditional and linear processes and infrastructures towards more circular, green, and efficient ones is the goal of this collaboration.

The partnership between both organizations builds on prior joint action. In December 2020, Holcim's innovation experts joined the Solar Impulse Foundation E-Coaching panel to call for low-carbon and circular economy solutions in the building industry and help them apply for the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label. Holcim itself has 17 Efficient Solutions labeled by the Foundation for being beneficial for both the economy and our environment. Among those solutions, ECOPact, a green concrete solution that reduces carbon emissions by at least 30% and up to 70% compared to standard concrete, and Susteno, a circular economy solution that represents the world's first green cement with 20% recycled construction & demolition waste inside, part of Holcim's ECOPlanet green cement range. These solutions and others are accelerating the transition to net zero construction around the world today.

The partnership was announced on Holcim's Circular Explorer, a Solar Impulse labeled Efficient Solution, leaving the port of Hamburg for its maiden voyage. The Circular Explorer is the world's first-of-its-kind solar-powered catamaran operated by One Earth One Ocean to clean coastal areas from plastic waste while advancing marine science and education.

Bertrand Piccard said: 

"The role of the Solar Impulse Foundation is to help countries and businesses to achieve their ecological targets.  The partnership with Holcim is meaningful for the environment as it aims at reducing the CO2 emissions from the concrete, cement and construction industry thanks to some of the 1200+ solutions that we have identified around the world.”

Jan Jenisch said:

"I am delighted to become a partner of the Solar Impulse Foundation to play our part in advancing its mission to drive solutions that are good for the planet and good for business. With our world's population growth, urbanization, and climate change, we are determined to accelerate low-carbon and circular construction at scale, to build progress for people and the planet." 

Read the official press release from Holcim here.

Read more about the partnership of Holcim and SIF on our dedicated partner page.

Watch a video on Holcim labeled solutions here.