Building the world of low carbon cement | Ryan Gilliam, CEO of Fortera

In this week’s episode, we explore the world of cement.  Concrete is the second most consumed material on earth behind water and is essential to the infrastructure that will enable the transition to renewable energy. But producing cement, which is the material that glues concrete together, is incredibly carbon intensive. As CEO of Fortera, Dr. Ryan Gilliam looks to nature and how coral and shells are strengthened by imbedding ambient carbon. Fortera’s first plant, in Redding, California, will come online by the end of 2023 and Fortera cement is construction ready. 

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Gilliam discusses how he partners with existing concrete suppliers, why the first iteration of Fortera failed to gain traction, and how he has built a business savvy team to bring Fortera cement to market. 

Links: 

• Fortera
• Dr. Ryan Gilliam on LinkedIn
• Video of Fortera Redding, California Plant
• McKinsey: Spotting Green Business Opportunities in a Surging Net-Zero World

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, and Hilary at climatepositive@hasi.com or tweet them to @ClimatePosiPod.

Episode Recorded August 9, 2023

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.