ARDEX Group and Co-reactive collaborate on low-carbon construction chemical formulations

ARDEX Group GmbH, a leadng global manufacturer of construction chemicals, and Co-reactive GmbH, an emerging supplier of low-carbon cement substitutes, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to evaluate Co-reactive’s CO₂-negative supplementary cementitious material, Corolith, in selected ARDEX product applications. The collaboration will be conducted under Co-reactive’s Core Customer Development Program and is designed to validate the material’s performance, application properties and sustainability potential in high-performance construction chemical formulations.

Cement production remains one of the largest industrial sources of CO2 emissions, and the construction industry faces growing pressure to decarbonize without compromising performance, durability, reliability and workability. At the same time, conventional supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag are becoming structurally scarce due to the phase-out of coal-fired power generation and the transformation of steel production. Co-reactive addresses this gap with a new class of CO₂-negative SCMs, designed as a scalable, drop-in binder component for low-carbon construction materials.

Co-reactive’s Corolith is produced through a proprietary CO₂ mineralization process. Captured CO₂ is reacted with calcium- and magnesium-rich raw materials, such as natural minerals or metallurgical slags, to form stable carbonates and amorphous silica. The resulting fine powder functions as a reactive supplementary cementitious material, reducing clinker demand while permanently binding CO₂ in mineral form. As part of the collaboration, ARDEX and Co-reactive have selected an initial set of applications, defined test plans and agreed on KPIs and acceptance criteria before testing began. The partners will now evaluate Corolith in the selected formulations, review results regularly, followed by discussions to enter a structured commercialization partnership. 

For ARDEX, the collaboration supports its Building Tomorrow approach, which captures the Group’s activities for sustainable, future-oriented construction. It also contributes to ARDEX goes Zero, the Group-wide climate strategy aimed at achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from their European operations (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2035 and across the whole value chain (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 2045. By evaluating CO₂-negative supplementary cementitious materials for high-performance formulations, ARDEX is exploring an additional route to reduce product-related emissions while maintaining the quality, reliability and workability expected by professional installers.

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