Holcim UAE launches ECOCycle to turn construction waste into new building materials, targeting 75% landfill diversion

UAE – Holcim UAE has launched ECOCycle at ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi, a circularity platform guaranteeing 10 to 100% recycled construction demolition materials in every labelled product without compromising quality.

The UAE generates enormous volumes of construction demolition materials every year, accounting for an estimated 70 to 75% of the nation’s total solid waste. 

ECOCycle directly addresses this challenge by transforming this waste into new, high-quality building materials, giving discarded resources a second life rather than sending them to landfill. 

Instead of extracting new raw materials for every construction project, ECOCycle recovers and reprocesses materials from old structures, feeding them back into the construction cycle. 

The result is a genuinely closed-loop system that reduces waste, conserves natural resources, and supports the UAE’s ambition to divert 75% of waste from landfill.

Proven Technology with Global Track Record

This is not an untested idea. Holcim has already used this technology across multiple markets worldwide, including in France where, in a world first, an entire residential building was constructed using 100% recycled concrete. 

The UAE launch brings that proven track record to the region for the first time. 

Ali Said, CEO of Holcim UAE and Oman, explained that with ECOCycle, the company is building cities from cities, closing the loop in construction and helping customers achieve their ambitious circularity goals by providing building materials and solutions that carry this label, with no compromise on quality and performance. 

At the same time, Holcim is reducing the use of primary materials, conserving natural resources, and minimising the volume of materials sent to landfill.

Circular Construction in Practice

Construction and demolition waste is notoriously difficult to recycle because concrete contains aggregates, cement paste, and often embedded steel, all of which must be separated and processed. 

Traditional recycling crushes concrete into low-grade fill for roadbeds or drainage layers, downcycling, not circularity. 

ECOCycle’s technology processes demolition waste into high-quality aggregates that can replace virgin stone in new concrete mixes, with performance matching or exceeding conventional concrete. 

The guarantee of 10 to 100% recycled content gives specifiers a predictable range, allowing them to select the appropriate recycled content for each application.

Green Building Certifications

ECOCycle products can contribute to internationally recognised green building certifications, including LEED and Estidama, giving developers, architects, and contractors confidence that they are building responsibly. 

For a developer seeking LEED certification, specifying ECOCycle concrete contributes to Materials and Resources credits for recycled content and regional material sourcing. 

From foundations to facades, ECOCycle turns the cities of today into the building materials of tomorrow.

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