In the heart of Calgary, a dynamic gathering of local elected officials, construction industry titans, business leaders, and tradespeople convened to explore how clean tech is revolutionizing the construction sector. This wasn’t just another meeting—it was a catalyst for change, a vivid discussion on optimizing operations, creating jobs, and fueling economic growth in Calgary and across Alberta. The event, hosted by New Economy Canada in partnership with the Calgary Construction Association and Carbon Upcycling, marked the first Albertan stop on the “Getting Things Built” cross-Canada tour. The tour spotlights companies investing, building, and hiring locally, embodying the spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines the region.
The day kicked off at Platform Calgary with a lively discussion on the future of clean tech, followed by an eye-opening tour of Carbon Upcycling’s demonstration facility. Here, participants witnessed firsthand how this Alberta-based company is transforming the building sector. Carbon Upcycling’s groundbreaking technology captures carbon and combines it with waste byproducts from the steel, mining, and energy sectors to create high-performance, low-carbon cement. This cement is not just a building material; it’s a testament to Alberta’s ingenuity and a beacon of hope for a more sustainable future.
The cement industry is a cornerstone of Canada’s economy, supporting over 160,000 direct and indirect jobs. With demand for cement expected to surge in the coming decades, the conditions are ripe for this made-in-Calgary technology to scale up, bringing with it a wave of job opportunities. Merran Smith, President of New Economy Canada, captured the essence of the event, saying, “When we think about the places and people who know how to get things built, Albertans are right at the top of the list. Alberta has a long history of getting energy and infrastructure projects off the ground, using clean tech to decarbonize, optimize and make operations more competitive, and of diverse sectors coming together to collaborate, innovate to make supply chains stronger. We’re thrilled to showcase Carbon Upcycling, a Calgary-based innovator that is revolutionizing the cement and concrete sector by creating a low-carbon, high-quality products and creating jobs while they’re at it.”
Juliane Kniebel-Huebner, Chief Operating Officer of Carbon Upcycling, emphasized the local impact of their technology. “Prioritizing local sourcing of materials could have profound short and long-term impacts for Canada, and that’s part of what Carbon Upcycling is doing: offering Canadian cement producers a local, secure and high-quality supply chain, that also happens to be low carbon. We’re excited to be getting things built in Canada by working with builders, manufacturers and governments, powered by Canadian resources, Canadian innovation, and Canadian workers.”
The event also highlighted the critical role of workforce development in supporting this clean tech revolution. Honorable Rajan Sawhney, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and MLA for Calgary North-West, underscored the need for a qualified workforce. “Alberta’s economy is growing, we have record housing starts…but the limiting factor is a qualified, talented workforce. We’re investing in having more seats at our polytechnics to make sure that we have more tradespeople. When it comes to clean tech and evolving technology, we know that we are going to need electricians, welders, plumbers, sheet metal workers and more. We are trying to skate to where the puck is going to be in terms to anticipating what that economy is going to look like, particularly as it pertains to the construction industry.”
Greg McLean, Member of Parliament for Calgary-Centre, praised the collaborative efforts driving this innovation. “Congratulations to Carbon Upcycling for great success – 47 employees now. And also, congratulations to the government of Alberta for having the foresight to build the facility at the Shepard Power Plant, to actually find a way to capture some of the carbon and develop technologies from there. I’m so pleased that we’re having some successes that are actually leading towards what will be the decarbonization of much of our economy…These solutions are the ones that are going to move forward, the ones that are going to actually add value to our economy, they’re going to add value to the environment, they’re going to add value to
