New joint venture aims to promote sustainable construction

The five family-owned companies Grisoni-Zaugg, JMS Group (Johann Müller AG), Kästli Bau, Lötscher Plus Group and Eberhard Bau have jointly founded Zirkulit Beton AG. According to a press release, the partners want to jointly store CO2 in the concrete granulate and use this sustainable concrete. The new company also sells certificates with which private individuals or companies can offset their CO2 emissions.

The starting point was the development of a circular concrete by the companies Eberhard and Kästli, which founded Zirkulit AG for this purpose in 2021. Now, thanks to the new partnerships with Grisoni-Zaugg, JMS and Lötscher Plus, the building material is to be used in central and eastern Switzerland as well as in Vaud. Zirkulit Beton AG has set itself the goal of storing 25,000 tons of CO2 in concrete throughout Switzerland every year from 2030. This would also return more than 2 million tons of construction waste from the demolition of buildings to the cycle. In Switzerland, 7.5 million tons of construction waste are produced every year. "Theoretically, over 50,000 tons of CO2 could be stored in concrete granulate every year," writes Zirkulit Beton AG in a press release. So far, however, this potential has not been exploited by the market due to weak demand. This is now set to change.

In order to build a completely recyclable house, Zirkulit not only founded Zirkulit Beton AG, but also entered into partnerships with other companies: Swisspor for mineral insulation material, Stahlton Bauteile AG for façade components and ceiling elements and Sievert AG for plasters. (ah)