# The complex path to market for low-carbon cement

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2024-10-17
- Length: 38m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement

## Summary

Leah Ellis, CEO and co-founder of Sublime Systems, explains the complex value chain and stakeholder alignment required to commercialize low-carbon cement. She details how Sublime navigates the gap between building owners like Microsoft who pay the green premium and the ready-mix producers, contractors, and subcontractors who must physically handle the material. Ellis discusses the necessity of a 'book-and-claim' system to decouple environmental attributes from physical logistics, allowing early adoption by tech giants while the supply chain adapts. She also highlights the critical role of government procurement and performance-based standards in creating demand signals for this slow-moving industry.

## Chapters

- [2:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=142) Introduction: The Second Wave of Climate Tech and Cement's Complexity
- [5:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=317) Global Cement Market Dynamics and Sublime's Strategy
- [11:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=669) The Cement Value Chain and the 'Pushing a Rope' Challenge
- [19:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=1141) Stakeholder Alignment: Engineers, Contractors, and Job Site Friction
- [25:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=1543) Book-and-Claim Systems and Environmental Attributes
- [33:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=2021) Government Procurement and Policy Drivers
- [36:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement#t=2192) Scaling to the Developing World and Data Center Demand

## Topics

- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Sublime Systems (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- CRH (company)
- Wholesome (company)
- Heidelberg (company)
- Amazon (company)
- RMI (company)
- Green Materials Association (company)
- Energy Impact Partners (company)
- ASTM (other)
- ACI (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Reinventing Cement: The Breakthrough That Could Cut 8% of Global Emissions with Greg Williams](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-03-27-reinventing-cement-the-breakthrough-that-could-cut-8-of-global-emissions-with-gr) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Literally unearthing a climate solution with Cody Finke of Brimstone](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-11-16-literally-unearthing-a-climate-solution-with-cody-finke-of-brimstone) (How I Built This)
- [Building a decarbonization army with Shashank Samala of Heirloom](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-02-08-building-a-decarbonization-army-with-shashank-samala-of-heirloom) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-17-the-complex-path-to-market-for-low-carbon-cement. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.