Galliford Try celebrates major industry award for low carbon concrete innovation

Galliford Try, alongside its partners the University of Manchester, Cemex, Sika and Northumbrian Water, has won the Best Carbon Reduction Innovation or Practice category at the prestigious Building Innovation Awards 2025.

The award recognised the collaborative CoMLaG (Combining Micronised Limestone and Graphene) project, which represents a significant step forward in sustainable construction. The innovation utilises graphene as a strengthening agent to reduce the amount of cement required in concrete production, cutting embodied carbon while maintaining, and in some cases enhancing, performance.

Concrete is a major source of carbon emissions, with estimates suggesting its production and use is responsible for around 8% of global carbon dioxide. To help us to achieve net zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2045, Galliford Try is trialling new solutions such as this that will replace traditional concrete.

The project has already demonstrated success through extensive laboratory testing and a live site trial at a Northumbrian Water site, showcasing its potential to transform industry practice and support the journey to net zero.

Jon de Souza, Innovation and Research Lead for Galliford Try Technical Services, commented: "We are absolutely delighted that CoMLaG has been recognised with this award. Concrete is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions in construction, and this project demonstrates how innovation and collaboration can make a real impact. By combining the expertise of our industry and academic partners, we’ve been able to pioneer a solution that has the potential to deliver lasting change for our sector."