Trailblazing zirkulit Climate Program for Innovative Carbon Storage in Concrete Reaches Milestone with FOEN Registration

The pioneering zirkulit program for carbon storage in concrete is the first project of its kind in Switzerland to achieve registration by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) under the national CO2 Act. As a project developer, First Climate played a key role in reaching this milestone.

The permanent storage of CO2 in long-lasting construction materials is an important tool for the construction sector to achieve the net-zero target.

As part of zirkulit Beton AG’s program, biogenic CO2 is captured in biogas plants in Switzerland, transported to recycling facilities or concrete plants, and is then brought into contact with the granulates from demolished concrete in specially developed CO2 storage facilities. The CO2 reacts with the cement paste contained in the concrete granulate to form calcium carbonate and is thereby stored permanently. The resulting CO2-enriched concrete aggregate is used in the production of recycling concrete, creating a permanent carbon sink.

This is a pioneering program among Swiss compensation projects: with the registration of the zirkulit program, the FOEN has for the first time approved a program for CO2 storage in concrete, and also for the first time a project of the type “carbon storage in non-organic materials.” The program comprises several carbon storage facilities operated at various locations across Switzerland in close partnership with concrete producers.

The zirkulit program has been supported by the Climate Cent Foundation (CCF). The foundation is funding the project as one of five national pilot NET and CCS initiatives, for which a total of CHF 50 million has been allocated (pilot projects CCF). Financing is provided under a multi-year supply agreement for the carbon removals achieved by the program.

On behalf of zirkulit Beton AG, First Climate (Switzerland) AG has been instrumental in developing and implementing the program from the initial concept through to its registration with the FOEN. In this role, First Climate has been responsible for preparing the program application, developing the methodology for monitoring and calculating the achieved carbon removals, and supporting both the validation of the application and the registration process with FOEN.

“We are very proud to have developed and guided the program to registration together with our partner zirkulit while meeting the stringent certification criteria set by the FOEN,” say Luzia Bieri, Head of Compliance Switzerland and Carbon Standards at First Climate, and David Moosmann, Senior Advisor at First Climate.