Greentech startup Reclinker raises £10m led by Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures
This article covers Reclinker, a greentech startup, and its £10m series A funding round to scale its cement‑recycling process from industrial trials to full commercial production in Cardiff. The funding aims to support scaling low‑carbon cement production, create skilled green jobs in South Wales and prepare replication at further electric arc furnace sites in Europe and the US.
Reclinker, a greentech startup, has raised £10 million in a series A funding round to move its cement-recycling process from industrial trials to full commercial production in Cardiff. The funding, co-led by Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures with participation from Development Bank of Wales, Kibo Invest and existing backers Zero Carbon Capital and Cambridge Enterprise, will scale production at an electric arc furnace site and create skilled green jobs in South Wales while preparing replication at further sites in Europe and the US.
Why it matters
Cement production accounts for roughly 7% of global CO2 emissions, with most emissions coming from clinker manufacture and the fossil-fuel-driven kilns that drive it. Reclinker’s process aims to cut that footprint by recovering cement paste from construction demolition and converting it into cementitious material inside electric arc furnaces already used for steel recycling. If the claimed 50% emissions reduction holds at scale and the product reaches cost parity with conventional cement, the approach could relieve pressure on concrete producers facing dwindling supplies of blast-furnace slag and support lower-carbon construction materials supply chains.
Inside the product
Reclinker’s method, developed at the University of Cambridge and described in Nature, treats cement paste recovered from demolition and processes it in electric arc furnaces used by steel recyclers. The process produces a cementitious slag that can be used in place of conventional clinker, while also producing recycled steel, and does not require kilns, quarried limestone, or fossil-fuel-driven heat.
The company has already produced thousands of tonnes at 7 Steel UK’s Cardiff site and recorded its first commercial sales. That early traction matters because blast-furnace slag — a traditional low-carbon blend component — is becoming scarcer as steelmakers transition away from blast furnaces. Reclinker positions itself as an alternative low-carbon input that leverages existing steel-recycling infrastructure.
The move to commercial operations in Cardiff is supported by commitments made under Innovate UK’s Advance Market Commitment, where large concrete users have signalled intent to introduce significant volumes of low-carbon materials over the next five years. Reclinker says the new funding will take operations from trial scale to full production and underpin plans to replicate the model at additional electric arc furnace sites internationally.
Who are the investors?
The series A was co-led by Clean Growth Fund and AP Ventures. Other participants include Development Bank of Wales and Kibo Invest, alongside existing investors Zero Carbon Capital and Cambridge Enterprise. The round was reported as oversubscribed and is explicitly intended to bankroll the Cardiff commercial ramp and further international replication at electric arc furnace sites.
In the announcement, Stephen Price, Investment Partner at Clean Growth Fund, said:
Cement is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, with emissions deeply embedded in both process chemistry and energy use. Reclinker’s approach is a compelling example of how industrial symbiosis can unlock meaningful emissions reductions by leveraging existing infrastructure. By integrating cement production into steel recycling, the company offers a scalable and economically attractive pathway to reducing the carbon intensity of one of the world’s most widely used materials. Clean Growth Fund is delighted to support Reclinker as it advances production scale-up and commercial deployment.
In the announcement, Andrew Hinkly, Managing Partner at AP Ventures, said:
Portland cement clinker is essential to infrastructure development, yet remains one of the hardest industrial emissions sources to abate. Reclinker has developed a unique, scalable, and cost-competitive route to low-carbon clinker production that can be deployed using existing steel industry capital equipment. Its ability to reduce cement emissions while consuming one of the world’s largest industrial waste streams made Reclinker a natural investment for AP Ventures in the cement sector.
In the announcement, Gareth Mayhead, at Development Bank of Wales, said:
This investment demonstrates the power of co-investment in bringing innovative, high-growth businesses to Wales. By investing alongside specialist climate technology investors, we're helping Reclinker establish and grow its presence here, building on the successful industrial trials already undertaken in Cardiff.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Bill Yost, CEO at Reclinker, said:
We are thrilled to have received backing from both our existing and incoming investors. This oversubscribed round sends a strong signal that UK investors are serious about decarbonisation. We are particularly glad this investment will support the growth of green industries in Wales.
The bigger picture
Reclinker’s model sits at the intersection of industrial decarbonisation and circular construction-materials supply. By using electric arc furnaces — equipment already widespread in steel recycling — the approach reduces the need for new capital-intensive kiln infrastructure and taps into existing industrial value chains. That could accelerate adoption compared with solutions that require new processing plants.
The deal also reflects broader investor interest in greentech and industrial decarbonisation strategies that deliver both emissions reductions and circular-economy benefits. For concrete producers facing a shortage of low-carbon inputs, new sources of cementitious material will become increasingly important as demand for lower-carbon construction materials grows.
This funding round underscores growing activity in the UK greentech scene and highlights how university research, industrial partners and climate-focused investors are combining to pilot low-carbon manufacturing at scale. As Reclinker moves to full commercial production, its progress will be one to watch for infrastructure decarbonisation efforts across the UK, Europe and beyond.
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