New Nobel Center opts for net-zero concrete from Heidelberg Materials

• The Nobel Center Project has opted to use evoZero®, the world’s first carbon captured net-zero concrete from Heidelberg Materials, for the new Nobel Center in Stockholm
• As a globally unique product, evoZero's net-zero footprint is based on the application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Brevik, Norway.

The new Nobel Center building in Stockholm, scheduled for construction in 2027, is intended to be at the forefront of environmental and climate responsibility. For this lighthouse project, the Nobel Center Project has now opted to use the world’s first carbon captured net-zero concrete, launched recently by Heidelberg Materials under the evoZero brand. The memorandum of understanding between both parties symbolises an important link between science and the green industrial transformation. 

Jon Morrish, Member of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials and responsible for the Group area Europe: “Together with the Nobel Center project, we aim to set a new standard for sustainable construction and pave the way for other future-oriented players. The collaboration enables us to combine the world of science and innovative solutions from our own sector such as evoZero in an exciting way.”

evoZero is the result of cutting-edge technology without compromising on strength or performance which makes it an attractive choice for the Nobel Center. 
“Science confirms again and again that the world is facing an acute climate and nature crisis,” says Vidar Helgesen, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation. “Several Nobel Prizes have been awarded both for highlighting this threat and for innovations to mitigate it. When we build a new house for science, culture, and dialogue in Stockholm, we want to act in keeping with science. The Nobel Center project is therefore seeking new solutions for material use and re-use in order to minimise climate impact.” 

Concrete is a versatile and reliable material for buildings and infrastructure that needs to be durable and last over time. However, the production of cement, a key ingredient in concrete, causes considerable CO₂ emissions. Solving this challenge has been Heidelberg Materials’ focus for many years. In Brevik, Norway, the company is currently building the world’s first industrial-scale carbon capture facility at a cement plant. At the end of 2023, Heidelberg Materials launched its evoZero brand on the European market, the world’s first carbon captured net-zero cement and concrete based on the application of CCS technology in Brevik. 

About the technology, the plant, and the product

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves capturing CO₂ from large emissions sources and storing it safely in suitable geological formations, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Heidelberg Materials’ CCS facility at the Brevik cement plant in Norway will be mechanically completed by the end of 2024. Once operational, 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year are to be captured and transported by ship to an onshore terminal on the Norwegian west coast. From there, the liquefied CO₂ will be transported by pipeline to the storage site under the North Sea, where it will be permanently stored. In 2025, Heidelberg Materials will start supplying its customers with evoZero.

About the new Nobel Center

The new Nobel Center will be a house for science, culture, and dialogue built at Slussen on the northern waterfront of Södermalm island in the Swedish capital Stockholm. The Nobel Center will offer a broad range of public activities including exhibitions, school programmes, lectures, and conversations about the major issues of the future. It will be a place for Nobel Prize laureates, Stockholm residents, tourists, school children and their teachers. The public activities that are already being conducted around the world, digitally and at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm’s Old Town, will be further developed and scaled up for the opening of the Nobel Center.

• About Heidelberg Materials
• Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions with leading market positions in cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete. We are represented in more than 50 countries with around 51,000 employees at almost 3,000 locations. At the centre of our actions lies the responsibility for the environment. As the front runner on the path to carbon neutrality and circular economy in the building materials industry, we are working on sustainable building materials and solutions for the future. We enable new opportunities for our customers through digitalisation.