Sustainable materials in the built environment: innovation roundup

Growing attention to sustainability and an urgent need for scalable solutions have encouraged innovation in built-environment materials. Carbon-negative concrete, green steel, recycled bricks, and other new products are emerging to sustain global development while reducing environmental harm. Proactive governments have pledged to use public procurement preferences to advance low-carbon concrete and steel, and there is an active venture ecosystem for climate tech. A true breakthrough in this space could access a market in the tens of billions of dollars — perhaps hundreds of billions — a tantalizing prospect for startups and investors alike.