#98 - Andreas Saari - Paebbl - The cement that stores carbon - (live recording)

#98 - Andreas Saari - Paebbl - The cement that stores carbon - (live recording)

Author: Hugo Rauch June 23, 2026 Duration: 24:34

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🌊 Building Concrete That Stores Carbon

Can the world’s most essential building material become a climate solution?

We’re joined by Andreas Saari, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Paebbl, a company developing carbon-storing materials that can be blended directly into concrete.

Cement is responsible for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. The challenge isn’t just the energy required to produce it, half of the emissions come from the chemistry itself. In this conversation, Andreas explains why decarbonizing cement is one of climate tech’s hardest problems and why entirely new materials may offer a path forward.

We also explore what it takes to bring a novel industrial material to market, how risk is shared across the construction value chain, and why Europe could play a defining role in the next industrial era.

In our conversation, we covered:

→ Why cement remains one of the toughest sectors to decarbonize

→ How Paebbl turns captured CO₂ and abundant minerals into a carbon-storing construction material

→ Why customers increasingly demand low-carbon concrete—and who’s willing to pay for it

→ The challenge of proving performance when buildings and infrastructure are on the line

→ How Paebbl brought companies like Holcim and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund onto its cap table to align incentives

→ Why scaling industrial climate technologies requires a completely different financing model

→ Europe’s opportunity to lead a new wave of industrial innovation

→ The emerging software, AI, and materials technologies transforming the construction industry

✨ Leave a review and share the episode if this conversation challenged the way you think about growth, innovation, and sustainability.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newwavenewsletter.substack.com

Hugo Rauch hosts New Wave, a podcast that lives at the intersection of business ambition and scientific reality. This isn't about distant predictions or abstract science; it's a grounded exploration of the technologies and companies being built right now to address our environmental future. Each episode focuses on the practical journey, dissecting the models, the breakthroughs, and the hard decisions that define the climate tech landscape. You'll hear from founders, researchers, and investors who are actively shaping this space, getting into the specifics of what works, what doesn't, and why. The conversations move beyond hype to examine the tangible mechanics of creating viable solutions, from energy storage and sustainable materials to carbon removal and regenerative agriculture. It’s for anyone who thinks about the climate challenge not just as a crisis, but as a complex and urgent field of innovation. By tuning into this podcast, you gain a clearer understanding of the economic forces and scientific principles driving the next generation of environmental solutions. New Wave connects the dots between the lab, the boardroom, and the impact we need to see in the world, offering a sober yet optimistic look at where substantive progress is truly being made.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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