Reclinker has raised £10 million in Series A funding as it moves its low-carbon cement technology from successful industrial trials towards commercial production. The round was co-led by Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures, with participation from the Development Bank of Wales, Kibo Invest, existing investor Zero Carbon Capital and Cambridge Enterprise. The new funding is expected to support production scale-up at Reclinker’s Cardiff site, create skilled green jobs in South Wales and help the company replicate its technology at additional electric arc furnace sites across Europe and the US.
The company has already produced thousands of tonnes at 7 Steel UK’s Cardiff facility and secured its first commercial sales, giving the technology a route towards market adoption rather than remaining at the demonstration stage. Turns demolition waste to new cement Founded in 2022, Reclinker was spun out of research at the University of Cambridge and is led by CEO Bill Yost, alongside a Poppy Brewer and Philippa (Pippa) Horton.
The company is tackling one of the biggest problems in cement manufacturing: the emissions associated with producing clinker, the key ingredient in cement. Conventional clinker production relies heavily on limestone and fossil-fuel-powered kilns operating at extremely high temperatures. Reclinker instead recovers cement paste from construction and demolition waste and converts it back into clinker inside electric arc furnaces already used to recycle steel.
That creates an unusual industrial combination: the same process can produce recycled steel and new cement while eliminating the need for a conventional cement kiln. The company says its cementitious slag can deliver an immediate 50% reduction in emissions, with further reductions expected as the technology scales, while targeting cost parity with conventional cement. “We are thrilled to have received backing from both our existing and incoming investors.
This oversubscribed round sends a strong signal that UK investors are serious about decarbonisation. We are particularly glad this investment is expected to support the growth of green industries in Wales,” said Bill Yost, CEO of Reclinker. The technology has been further validated through the Innovate UK Advance Market Commitment, where major concrete users have indicated an intention to introduce significant volumes of low-carbon materials over the next five years.
A massive cement decarbonisation opportunity Cement accounted for around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency, while direct emissions intensity has remained broadly unchanged in recent years. The IEA says deep reductions will require technologies including alternative raw materials, clinker substitution and carbon capture. Reclinker is targeting the problem at the clinker-production stage, while also addressing another emerging challenge: the supply of low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials.
As steelmakers move away from blast furnaces, supplies of blast-furnace slag traditionally used to reduce cement emissions are expected to decline. Reclinker aims to turn demolition waste into another source of lower-carbon cementitious material. The competition Reclinker enters a growing market of startups rethinking cement production. UK-based Material Evolution raised £15 million in Series A funding to scale its low-carbon cement made from industrial waste.
Its technology uses an alkali-fusion process rather than conventional high-temperature kiln production and has been designed to reduce cement’s carbon footprint by 85%. Finnish startup Carbonaide raised €3.7 million in 2026 to scale its technology for permanently mineralising CO₂ inside concrete, taking total funding to €5.5 million. Meanwhile, Hyperion Robotics raised €3 million to combine 3D printing with sustainable concrete, using industrial waste to create lower-carbon construction materials.
Reclinker’s differentiation is its use of existing steel-recycling infrastructure to address cement emissions simultaneously. “Reclinker offers a compelling, scalable route to cut cement emissions by integrating cement production with existing steel recycling infrastructure. We’re delighted to support the company as it scales production and commercial deployment,” added Stephen Price, Investment Partner at Clean Growth Fund.
“Reclinker has developed a unique, scalable and cost-competitive route to low-carbon clinker using existing steel industry infrastructure. Its ability to cut cement emissions while consuming a major industrial waste stream made it a natural investment for AP Ventures,” added Andrew Hinkly, Managing Partner at AP Ventures. “This investment demonstrates the power of co-investment in bringing innovative, high-growth businesses to Wales.
We’re helping Reclinker establish and grow its presence here, building on its successful industrial trials in Cardiff,” added Gareth Mayhead, Development Bank of Wales.
Reported by UKFOS from the company's announcement.