Holcim and Amazon invest in sustainable building start-ups

Paebbl converts CO₂ into a future-proof industrial raw material that turns the built environment into a permanent carbon store. Image: Paebbl

The funding into 14Trees by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, alongside a follow-on investment by Holcim into its 3D printing joint venture with British International Investment (BII), will accelerate the startup’s construction of large-scale buildings, including low-carbon data centers.

14Trees was established in 2016 as a joint venture between Holcim and BII to accelerate the provision of sustainable construction solutions in Africa.

The company has pioneered the delivery of the first 3D-printed house in Africa, the world’s first 3D-printed schools, and one of the largest 3D-printed neighborhoods on the planet.

Paebbl converts CO₂ into a future-proof industrial raw material that turns the built environment into a permanent carbon store. The company was founded in 2021 by serial founders Andreas Saari and Jane Walerud, applied researcher and mineralisation veteran Pol Knops, and former venture capitalist Marta Sjögren.

The investment into Paebbl is reported to be part of a broader investment round will scale up the startup’s advanced mineralisation technology, designed to permanently store CO₂ in concrete as a carbon sink.

“By investing with Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund into 14Trees and Paebbl, we can scale up these pioneering technologies to push the boundaries of sustainable building, from 3D printing to making concrete a carbon sink,” says Nollaig Forrest, chief sustainability officer, Holcim.