Holcim UAE officially launches ECOCycle® to advance circular construction

The launch marks a bold step toward building a more sustainable UAE by turning construction demolition materials into valuable new resources.

Holcim UAE officially launched ECOCycle® at the Make It In The Emirates event at ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi, marking a landmark moment in the country’s journey toward smarter, more sustainable construction. ECOCycle uses Holcim’s advanced circular technology to accelerate change, building cities from cities and closing the loop in construction.

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 into new, high-quality building materials, giving discarded resources a second life rather than sending them to landfill. ECOCycle, Holcim’s circularity technology platform, guarantees a minimum of 10% up to 100% recycled construction demolition materials in every labeled product, with no compromise on quality or performance.

Speaking at the launch, Ali Said, CEO of Holcim UAE and Oman, said: “With ECOCycle, we’re building cities from cities, closing the loop in construction and helping our 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, we’re reducing the use of primary materials, conserving natural resources, and minimizing the volume of materials sent to landfill.”

The concept is simple but powerful. 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.

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 this region for the first time.

ECOCycleproducts can contribute to internationally recognized green building certifications, giving developers, architects, and contractors confidence that they are building responsibly. From foundations to facades, ECOCycle is how Holcim turns the cities of today into the building materials of tomorrow, building cities from cities.