The Saint-Pierre company has formulated a pioneering concrete floor in decarbonization thanks to the revolutionary technology of the Dutch Paebbl, which transforms floor coverings into carbon sinks. It thus marks a step forward in the field of sustainable construction..
Former start-up on the rise, Paebbl is a company based in Rotterdam. Its mission is to fight global warming on an unprecedented scale by making CO₂ a construction material.. Its technology consists of an accelerated mineralization process, fruit of a fusion between CO₂ and a component from natural resources based on olivine. The concrete binder obtained guarantees definitive carbon sequestration within the coating developed and manufactured by Australe Concrete. This carbon negative binder removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits during its manufacture, even taking into account its transport. The process has already convinced large groups such as the world leader in cement Holcim, and Amazon, who are among Paebbl’s investors. In order to support its own decarbonization approach, the e-commerce giant will apply this technology in several of its data centers in Europe.
Carbon negative soils
After a first creation in 2025 for the flagship store of perfumer Marc-Antoine Barrois, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré in Paris, it is in Reunion that innovation continues its development with the application, by Australe Concrete, of this unique mixture on the floors of the head office of the Manéo-Opticiens brand in Saint-Louis. During this pilot project, local teams poured 410 m² of surface area, replacing around 18% of the conventional cement in their industrial waxed concrete with the new binder from Paebbl. The result is clear : this application made it possible to reduce the CO₂ impact of the material by sequestering 20 kilos of carbon dioxide within the soil itself, without any risk of release into the atmosphere.
L’olivine, strategic material
If the basic technology was designed in Rotterdam, the know-how of integration is mastered by the Saint-Pierre company : la R&D from Australe Concrete has modified its formulas to incorporate this material in powder form. However, the mineral present in the patented composition is very widespread in Reunion Island., since it is olivine. The presence of olivine in the soils of the island thus constitutes a strategic potential for the autonomy of the territory.. “By manufacturing this new carbon negative binder, Reunion could free itself from its total dependence on cement imports. This would guarantee its industrial sovereignty while creating a real local economic sector”, does not hesitate to affirm Frédéric Ljung, president of Australe Concrete.
