Lothar Späth Award 2025 for Climate-Friendly Concrete Recycling
Concrete production accounts for an estimated six to nine percent of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Using this building material responsibly is therefore crucial for climate protection. This is where Rement—a spin-off from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – comes in: its technology chemically converts demolition concrete back into high-grade raw materials while permanently binding CO2 in the material. For this approach, the team received second place in the 2025 Lothar Späth Award along with EUR 30,000 in prize money.
“The award shows how scientific insights can be translated into market-ready solutions that directly advance climate neutrality in the construction sector,” says Professor Thomas Hirth, KIT’s Vice President Transfer and International Affairs. “The team combines scientific excellence with entrepreneurial courage—an approach we particularly foster at KIT.”
More sustainable thanks to a carbon-negative process
After mechanical comminution, Rement’s process treats construction and demolition waste with CO2 to recover valuable constituents—such as minerals and aggregates—for reuse in concrete. Because the CO2 is permanently sequestered in calcium carbonate within the material, the overall process is carbon-negative. The method has proven itself at laboratory scale, and a pilot plant is currently being commissioned.
About the Lothar Späth Award
Established in 2018 in honor of Professor Lothar Späth, the award recognizes innovative commercial enterprises in Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia as well as collaborative innovation partnerships with research institutions. It is presented every two years.
swi/mhe December 10, 2025