Inside of the Material Evolution plant (Photo: Material Evolution)

The new facility, known as the Mevo A1 Production Facility, has been commissioned and is now operating on an industrial scale.

The plant produced its first batch of ultra-low carbon cement in October 2024, on schedule and just eight months after construction began. It has the capacity to produce 120,000 tonnes of Material Evolution鈥檚 innovative MevoCem product annually, which boasts a reduction of up to 85% in emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement.

This factory does not utilise heat or kilns to combine the ingredients of its cement, instead it employs Material Evolution鈥檚 patented alkali-fusion process, enabling the production of cement that can undergo geopolymerization.

Sam Clark, co-founder and chief operating officer of Material Evolution, said, 鈥淭his launch takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of removing one gigaton of CO2 by 2040.

鈥淐onstructing a first-of-a-kind facility in just eight months is a massive undertaking. But our modular construction and lean design principles not only allowed us to move rapidly, but also means our approach is highly scalable.

鈥淲e hope this facility proves that cement and concrete decarbonisation is not only a possibility in the future - it鈥檚 a reality on the ground today. We look forward to working with government agencies, trade bodies and concrete specifiers to join us on our mission to realise the green transition here in the UK.鈥�

The plant is situated in Llay, Wrexham, at the site of CCP Building Products, which manufactures precast concrete blocks. This unique co-location represents an innovative approach to cement and concrete production under one roof, which helps reduce the carbon footprint of the final product by minimizing transportation needs.

Material Evolution funded the Mevo A1 Production Facility鈥檚 construction in part through the 拢15 million Series A funding round it raised in 2023, which included strategic investment from SigmaRoc, CCP Building Products鈥� parent company.

Michael Roddy, RMD North West at SigmaRoc, added, 鈥淲e are thrilled to see the Mevo A1 Production Facility up and running, marking a significant milestone in low-carbon cement production in the UK.

鈥淭his project aligns with SigmaRoc鈥檚 commitment to sustainable development, and we are proud to support Material Evolution in driving innovation that transforms the industry.鈥�

The 120 square meter plant was designed to combine and react waste feedstocks using lean manufacturing techniques. Material is transported around the plant using state-of-the-art material handling processes allowing its overall footprint to be far smaller than the average UK cement factory. By using a modular design, the Mevo A1 Production Facility is flexible to the supply chain and raw materials required, allowing for adaptation to new cement technology and innovation.

Founded in 2020 by Dr Liz Gilligan and Sam Clark, Material Evolution aims to help revolutionise the 拢500 billion concrete industry.