Holcim Group Services Ltd (SIX: HOLN, reference: 0QKY) has announced a strategic investment in 44.01, a technology company specialising in carbon mineralisation storage, deepening a commercial relationship that has already produced a live pilot at Holcim's Fujairah cement plant in the United Arab Emirates. The investment is intended to support 44.01's scaling and international expansion, the announcement states. The move forms part of Holcim's broader NextGen Growth 2030 decarbonisation strategy and adds to the 22 investments made to date through its corporate venture capital unit, Holcim MAQER Ventures.

Key Points

  • Holcim Group Services Ltd (SIX: HOLN, reference: 0QKY), headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with net sales of CHF 15.7 billion in 2025
  • Holcim has made a strategic investment in 44.01 to advance carbon mineralisation storage technology and support its international expansion
  • A pilot project at Holcim's Fujairah cement plant in the UAE has been running since July, with CO₂ being stored underground and mineralised into solid rock; the investment amount was not disclosed in the announcement
  • Investors should watch how the UAE pilot performs at scale and whether further inland deployment across Holcim's global operations follows

How 44.01's Mineralisation Technology Works at Holcim's Fujairah Plant

44.01's technology captures CO₂ and injects it into naturally reactive ultramafic rock formations, where it is permanently mineralised into stable carbonate rock. Since July, a pilot project has been operating under live industrial conditions at Holcim's Fujairah cement plant in the UAE, where the announcement confirms that CO₂ is now being safely stored underground and converted into solid rock. The process is designed to allow carbon storage in close proximity to production facilities, provided the right geological conditions exist — a factor the announcement describes as particularly relevant for inland sites where offshore storage access may be limited.

Holcim's Strategic Rationale and Alignment with NextGen Growth 2030

Ram Muthu, Head of Operational Excellence at Holcim, is quoted in the announcement stating that the investment builds on the existing UAE project and that 44.01's technology can help Holcim manage captured carbon at inland sites across its operations. The company frames the deal as advancing decarbonisation in line with its NextGen Growth 2030 strategy. With more than 50,000 employees across 45 countries and operations spanning Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Holcim operates at a scale where viable inland carbon storage solutions could have significant operational relevance across its global cement and building materials network.

44.01's Wider Investor Base and Holcim MAQER Ventures Portfolio

Holcim is not the sole institutional backer of 44.01. The announcement identifies other investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Equinor Ventures, Air Liquide Venture Capital, and Siemens Financial Services — a cohort that underscores the technology's perceived credibility across the energy and industrial sectors. This latest deal brings Holcim MAQER Ventures' total investment count to 22, reflecting the group's stated commitment to open innovation in decarbonisation and digital technologies for the built environment. The financial terms of Holcim's investment in 44.01 were not disclosed in the announcement.

Sector Risk: Geological Dependency Limits Universal Deployment of Carbon Mineralisation

Whilst the Fujairah pilot represents meaningful progress, the announcement itself acknowledges that 44.01's storage approach requires "the right geological conditions" — meaning ultramafic rock formations must be present near production sites. This geological dependency represents a company-specific constraint on how broadly the technology can be deployed across Holcim's portfolio of cement and building materials plants worldwide. Investors may be watching closely to see which additional sites meet the geological criteria and whether the technology can be validated beyond the current UAE pilot before wider commercial rollout is confirmed.