Sugarcrete

Sugarcrete® is an ultra-low carbon building material created by the University of East London in collaboration with Tate & Lyle and the studio Grimshaw. The material reuses bagasse waste from sugar production and combines it with fast-drying mineral binders to manufacture modular blocks and panels. These units have a carbon footprint up to six times lower than traditional clay bricks and reduce curing time to around 48 hours, with a weight four to five times lower than concrete. Sugarcrete® offers excellent mechanical, thermal, acoustic and fire-resistance properties; it has passed ISO 1716:2021 for fire resistance and ASTM C39 for compressive strength. Each cubic metre of Sugarcrete® avoids up to 170 kg of CO₂ and, if used to replace the bricks in a single-family home, could avoid around 120 tonnes of emissions. The initiative is open source so that producers in Global South countries can locally manufacture affordable, reusable, low-carbon components, generating employment and reducing environmental impact.