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In the face of climate change, the construction industry is being pushed to rethink its heavy reliance on carbon-intensive materials. Traditional building materials like concrete and fired bricks are responsible for a huge portion of global emissions, but a new wave of startups is stepping in with innovative, sustainable solutions. From low-carbon concrete and carbon-negative bricks to eco-friendly panels made from agricultural waste, these companies are transforming the way we build.
Year founded: 2018
Total funding raised: $4M
Latest funding round: Seed
Country: New Zealand
NeoCrete is on a mission to create carbon-neutral, resilient concrete that can meet the demands of today’s climate-conscious world. To do this, NeoCrete is using nano-engineered technology that swaps out traditional cement for low-carbon materials like volcanic ash. The result? A massive reduction in the environmental impact of concrete production.
What sets NeoCrete apart is their proprietary activator technology, which boosts the binding properties of low-carbon materials, allowing them to work just as effectively as cement but without the need for energy-intensive manufacturing processes. This results in a concrete that’s strong and durable while cutting its carbon footprint by 30-50%—all without compromising performance.
NeoCrete’s products have already been put to the test in real-world projects across New Zealand, partnering with organisations like Kainga Ora and eHaus. Their previous additive, D5 Green, has proven to improve durability and water tightness in infrastructure, residential, and commercial builds, backed by extensive independent testing.
But NeoCrete isn’t stopping there. By 2027, they plan to bring carbon-neutral concrete to the market. To achieve this, they are building a pilot plant and partnering with cement and concrete suppliers globally. Commercial trials are set to begin in late 2024, with full-scale sales targeted for early 2025.
Year founded: 2020
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Latest funding round: Pre-seed
Country: Hong Kong
Formwork IO is making construction sustainable with its innovative Circular Carbon Bricks, which greatly reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional building materials. In their latest project with Nan Fung Group, they’ve proven just how transformative these eco-friendly materials can be. The interior feature walls of Nan Fung’s new corporate office showcase Circular Carbon Bricks arranged in a stunning sawtooth pattern, combining modern design with a serious commitment to sustainability.
What makes these bricks stand out? For one, they come in three unique shades—COFFEE (made from upcycled coffee grounds), INDIGO (a natural, sustainable dye), and UNDYED (the lowest carbon footprint option). By using bio-pigments from organic waste and natural materials, Formwork IO has managed to reduce the chemical footprint by a whopping 95% and cut carbon emissions by 70% compared to traditional options.
With its carbon-negative paving blocks, Formwork IO is also addressing those hard-to-tackle Scope 3 emissions. These paving blocks, made from upcycled industrial waste and old concrete, use an innovative carbon-curing technology that actually removes CO₂ from the atmosphere. By focusing on reducing embodied carbon, Formwork IO is paving the way (literally) for a more sustainable future in construction.
Year founded: 2018
Total funding raised: $500k
Latest funding round: Seed
Country: India
Strawcture Eco is tackling two major environmental challenges—agricultural waste management and carbon emissions in construction—by turning leftover crop residue into eco-friendly building materials. The company upcycles straw, which is typically burned and contributes to severe air pollution, into sustainable construction solutions. By transforming this waste into useful building materials, Strawcture Eco aims to reduce pollution and provides a low-carbon alternative to traditional materials like brick and concrete.
The company's flagship product, AgriBioPanel™, is made from compressed straw fibers and a proprietary binding adhesive. AgriBioPanels™ are negative carbon footprint—meaning they actually sequester more carbon during production than they emit! These panels are 90% straw, making them highly sustainable and renewable. More importantly, they offer serious performance benefits: fire resistance, thermal insulation, and acoustic insulation, making them ideal for a variety of uses, from drywall to mezzanine flooring, false ceilings, and solid core doors.
Strawcture Eco’s panels are already being used in real-world projects across India, with over 200 architects and builders incorporating them into their designs. These panels meet ISI and BIS standards, ensuring they are safe, reliable, and fully compliant with building codes. Whether you’re constructing a sustainable home or a large corporate project, the versatility of these panels shows their potential to transform the construction industry.
Year founded: 2008
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Latest funding round: Series A
Country: South Korea
InnoCSR is making big strides in sustainable construction with its Good Bricks System, a technology that completely eliminates the need for coal and energy-intensive firing in brick production.
Instead of relying on traditional methods, the Good Bricks System uses a proprietary soil stabilizer to produce high-quality, durable bricks without the environmental damage caused by firing. The benefits? They’re huge—slashing carbon emissions, cutting out coal consumption, and drastically reducing the environmental impact of traditional brick kilns. And despite being much more eco-friendly, these bricks don’t compromise on strength or durability.
InnoCSR is quickly expanding the Good Bricks System across South Asia, where brick production is heavily reliant on coal. In places like Nepal, where the industry burns through nearly 1 million tons of coal each year, Good Bricks could help cut 37% of the country’s CO₂ emissions linked to brick manufacturing. Plus, the system addresses serious health concerns by reducing air pollution in areas like the Himalayas.
But InnoCSR isn’t just focused on bricks. Their Good Roads System uses the same eco-friendly soil stabilizer technology to create sustainable pavement solutions. These roads are not only cost-effective but also more durable and resilient, handling heavy traffic and harsh weather conditions better than traditional materials.
Year founded: 2022
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Latest funding round: Angel
Country: Australia
EarthBuilt is taking a smart approach to low-carbon construction by tapping into the power of reinforced earth. Instead of relying on traditional methods like cement, heat, or chemicals to bind materials like sand, clay, or gravel, EarthBuilt uses an external tensile membrane to hold everything together. Not only does this cut down on the use of carbon-heavy materials, but it also gives new life to waste products like crushed brick, glass, and concrete.
Here’s how it works: loose fill materials—whether it's earth, sand, or waste—are fed into a machine that moves along the ground or follows a foundation. As it extrudes the material, it wraps it in a tensile membrane, forming durable, compressed walls that look like layers of bricks. This technique, known as 'terre armée' (reinforced earth), results in structures that are super resilient, built to withstand everything from bushfires to floods and even earthquakes.
One of the coolest things about EarthBuilt’s system is its ability to upcycle local waste streams, cutting both material costs and the environmental impact of transportation. Since their process produces walls directly on-site, there’s no need for transporting raw materials or relying on high-quality clay. This makes EarthBuilt very adaptable, tailoring each build to whatever waste is available nearby, while boosting its sustainability game even further.