Impact Investing & Finance

How to Decarbonize the Concrete Industry

Jan 12, 2026 - 4 min read

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As more people move into cities, the world’s building stock is expected to double by 2060. This means a lot of construction. A lot of concrete. And a lot of carbon emissions. But there are solutions out there taking on the challenge. Through its impact investments, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt is invested in one of these solutions.

Concrete – the world’s most common building material – is a major contributor to carbon emissions. But it can also be part of the climate solution. Thomas Cavanagh Construction, a family-owned construction company in Eastern Ontario, uses carbon utilization technology developed by the Canadian climate tech company CarbonCure Technologies. The BMW Foundation indirectly supports CarbonCure's solutions through its investment in the 2150 Fund, which is part of the Foundation's Endowment Impact Investing program.2150 is a venture capital firm that backs tech companies aiming to transform urban environments. The goal is to help billions of people, create vast commercial value, and reduce emissions by gigatons. CarbonCure is part of its portfolio. In line with its mission, the BMW Foundation sees finance as a powerful tool to strengthen an innovative and responsible economy. Because the Foundation takes its responsibility as an asset owner seriously, more than 10 percent of its endowment is invested in impact investments. The BMW Foundation’s entire portfolio is aligned with ESG principles, reducing negative impacts and moving toward a Paris Agreement-aligned portfolio.

BMW Foundation stories: How to Decarbonize the Concrete Industry

The concrete industry is the largest carbon emitter. It accounts for about 8 percent of global CO2 emissions. If it were a country, cement production would rank as the fourth-largest CO2 emitter. Only China, the U.S., and India emit more. Concrete has a high carbon footprint because making cement – the main ingredient that gives concrete its strength – is carbon-intensive. Every pound of cement produced releases about a pound of CO2. At the same time, the concrete industry is the biggest lever for decarbonizing our built environment.CarbonCure Technologies is one example of how to do this on a global scale. The Canadian climate tech company aims to help the concrete industry cut CO2 emissions while enhancing operations and costs. CarbonCure’s approach of injecting captured CO2 into fresh concrete mineralizes and traps CO2 permanently. CarbonCure mixes have helped thousands of sustainable construction projects across two dozen countries. Cavanagh Construction just delivered the 10 millionth truckload of lower-carbon concrete mixes. A great milestone for both companies.

The BMW Foundation's Investment Approach

In line with our mission, we see finance as a powerful tool to strengthen an innovative and responsible economy. Investment approaches with a sustainability and impact focus include integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and impact investing. ESG investments seek to reduce harm and financial risks. Our entire portfolio is aligned with ESG principles, reducing negative impacts and shifting towards a Paris Agreement-aligned portfolio. In addition, we invest parts of our endowment in impact investments via our Eberhard von Kuenheim (EKF) Fund. Our goal is to drive economic growth through innovations and novel business models. This strategy has helped us establish ourselves as an impact investing pioneer in the German foundation sector. We have invested in leading German funds, such as Ananda Ventures, Planet A, and Brain Capital, and European players including Mustard Seed Maze, Purpose Evergreen Capital, and 2150.

Questions? Contact us.

BMW Foundation Team

E-Mail communication@bmw-foundation.org