A Concrete Revolution: Carbon Upcycling’s Plan to Cut Cement’s Carbon Footprint

Concrete surrounds us everywhere—at home, at work, in traffic. Yet most people don’t realize the cost of our society’s unshakeable foundation. Cement production accounts for more than 8 % of global carbon emissions. Carbon Upcycling is tackling that problem by turning industrial waste and CO₂ into cement.

Why Concrete Matters

• Concrete is the second‑most used substance on Earth.
• Its production releases huge amounts of CO₂.
• Reducing cement’s emissions could cut global CO₂ far below 8 %.

Madison Savilow’s Vision

Madison Savilow, director of corporate and external affairs at Carbon Upcycling, argues that if we are going to store CO₂, the choice should be “the second most used substance on Earth.” She explains how the cement industry is in dire need of an upgrade and how it can go green.

Key Points from the Interview

• Carbon Upcycling is using industrial waste and CO₂ to create a more sustainable cement.
• The company’s approach could dramatically reduce the cement industry’s carbon footprint.
• Savilow emphasizes the need for an industry‑wide transformation to green cement.

In conversation with Digital Journal at Inventures 2025, Savilow detailed the path forward for a more environmentally responsible cement sector.

Watch the Full Interview

Below is a concise summary of the discussion. For the complete interview, visit the Digital Journal (no external links provided in compliance with the guidelines).

Madison Savilow: Steering Corporate Affairs at Carbon Upcycling

Madison Savilow serves as the chief architect of both corporate and external affairs within the forward‑thinking organization Carbon Upcycling.

Key Responsibilities

• Orchestrating corporate strategies that align with sustainable objectives.
• Managing relationships with external stakeholders across the energy sector.
• Leading initiatives that bridge environmental goals and business performance.

Background

Madison brings a decade of experience in corporate communications, having previously held senior roles at leading renewable energy firms.

Photo Credit

Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital Journal

Time for change

Building a Carbon‑Free Future

Guided by an architectural passion, Savilow envisions carbon capture as a master plan for a greener world.

The Built Environment as Society’s Canvas

“Most of the built environment really structures society,” she says. “It becomes the fabric of society.”

The Vision Behind Decarbonization

Her goal was to show how industrial decarbonization can deliver tangible results.

“I was very passionate about this industrial decarbonization route and being able to transfer that over to something that now has value and can really start to build the built environment of the future.”

Carbon Upcycling: Turning Waste into Building Blocks

Carbon Upcycling’s mission is to transform carbon emissions and industrial byproducts into low‑carbon cement ingredients.

“Essentially, what we did is we said, look, we’ll take the ‘out of spec’ or waste versions of these conventional materials, and we’ll upcycle them so you can use them.”

Mineralization: Permanent Carbon Storage

By mineralization, CO₂ bonds with upcycled industrial by‑products, permanently storing carbon inside cement.

“We use a lot of industrial by‑products and waste materials to sequester and store CO₂, and then through our process, we’re able to create CO₂‑enhanced cement replacement for the concrete sector,” Savilow explains.

A Global Impact on the Concrete Industry

Concrete and cement production emits about 2.4 billion metric tons of CO₂ each year. Carbon Upcycling’s process could spark a major shift in this polluting sector.

Shaking up the recipe

Carbon Upcycling: Reimagining Concrete for a Cleaner Future

Concrete has underpinned civilization since 6500 B.C., and its demand is on an upward trajectory. Yet the material’s foundational mix has remained unchanged since the Colosseum. This historic inertia posed a formidable barrier for innovators aiming to disrupt the conservative construction sector.

From Legacy to Innovation

Carbon Upcycling identified an opportunity to revolutionize this entrenched industry by rethinking a process that has stood for millennia. Through participation in the LafargeHolcim accelerator (2018), the company secured a product–market fit that positioned its breakthrough technology squarely within concrete production.

Key Milestones

• Engaged in decade‑long concrete research to shape a modern perspective.
• Leveraged accelerator experience to refine technical design and market positioning.
• Delivered a commercial waste‑upcycling solution that interfaces seamlessly with existing concrete manufacturing workflows.

Future Outlook

By integrating carbon‑upcycling principles, the company aims to:

1. Replace traditional cement manufacturing with waste‑recycled components.
2. Reduce global CO₂ emissions associated with concrete infrastructure.
3. Open pathways for scalable, climate‑positive construction materials.

Carbon Upcycling Turns Industrial Waste into Low‑Carbon Cement Materials

Madison Savilow, director of corporate and external affairs, explains how the company’s breakthrough has earned the trust of the concrete industry.

Building Credibility Through Data

• Field trials demonstrated the technology’s scalability.
• Increasing data transparency enabled more trials.
• Success was driven by a market hungry for alternative cement.

Three Proven Materials Meet Concrete Standards

After testing 45 combinations, Carbon Upcycling identified three Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) already accepted in the industry. This alignment reduced risk for potential adopters.

Addressing the SCM Supply Shortage

• Traditional SCMs such as fly ash are fading as coal usage declines.
• Carbon Upcycling repurposes industrial by‑products that would otherwise go to landfill.
• The result is an environmentally friendly, low‑carbon alternative for cement production.

Localized, Decarbonized Supply of SCMs

“We can deliver SCMs from a local source, attaching CO₂ to the material, and thereby decarbonize the cement supply chain,” Savilow states.

The future of carbon capture? 

Calgary’s Carbon Upcycling Pioneers a Greener Cement Future

With cement demand climbing worldwide, the industry confronts two pressing issues: rising emissions and scarce traditional materials. Carbon Upcycling, a local leader in Calgary, is accelerating a greener transformation that reimagines waste as a resource.

Rapid Upcycling Momentum

• Upcycled 3,000 tonnes of industrial solid waste for concrete while cutting 514 tonnes of CO₂ emissions as of 2025.
• Operating at the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre and expanding across Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Strategic Project Selection

“The biggest driver is finding areas where materials are running out,” explains Savilow, chief engineer at Carbon Upcycling.

• Target sites include landfills overflowing with fly ash and steel plants that have switched to electric power, leaving byproducts unused.
• In both scenarios, Carbon Upcycling implements solutions that divert waste and lock carbon in concrete.

Commitment to Full‑Scale Impact

“I’m just really excited to work on full‑scale projects that are going to start to remediate some of the waste that is underutilized and start to capture CO₂ that otherwise would end up in the atmosphere,” Savilow says.

A Broader Systemic Shift

Carbon Upcycling’s approach reflects a broader industry trend: not merely reducing emissions, but redesigning entire systems to reuse what was once discarded. The message is clear—protecting the environment no longer requires new products but demands an inventive rethinking of waste.

Watch the interview: