The challenge
Concrete is one of the world’s most carbon-intensive materials. Neocrete, a materials technology start-up, is working to reduce that impact through Activator, an additive that helps reduce the cement required in concrete mixes.
As Neocrete entered the market, a customer required an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) before they could specify the product for a project. For a young company, this was a critical moment. Without independently verified evidence to support their environmental claims, Neocrete risked losing momentum at a key stage of growth.
What we did
Neocrete partnered with thinkstep-anz to complete a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and develop an EPD for Activator.
The LCA assessed the environmental impacts from raw material sourcing through manufacturing and packaging. These are the most relevant and comparable stages to look at for a product like Activator, because it is used in many different concrete applications.
The process moved quickly, supported by Neocrete’s well organised and prepared data and responsive team. The result is an independently verified EPD, registered under the EPD Australasia programme and made publicly available to customers and specifiers.
How we are helping Neocrete to succeed sustainably
For a start-up entering a competitive construction market, credibility is critical. The EPD gave Neocrete independent proof of their product’s environmental performance, helping remove a key barrier to market entry and supporting specification in green building projects.
Beyond the first customer requirement, the EPD became a strategic business asset. It now helps Neocrete to:
→ strengthen their brand with credible, third-party verified evidence
→ reduce greenwashing risk through clear, defensible claims
→ support growth in New Zealand and overseas by meeting market expectations
→ provide a publicly available declaration through a recognised programme
→ benchmark against comparable products, supporting competitive conversations with clients and specifiers
→ identify improvement opportunities, including where supplier collaboration could reduce impacts further.
Zarina Alexander, Co-founder and CEO, Neocrete, says verified environmental data is increasingly a prerequisite for specification. "The EPD gives us credible, third-party evidence that meets customer expectations and reduces risk. thinkstep-anz helped us navigate the process efficiently and translate our technical data into a declaration the market recognises and trusts.”
About Neocrete
Neocrete is a New Zealand innovative materials technology start-up focused on reducing embodied emissions associated with concrete. Its product, Neocrete Activator, is a dry powdered additive designed for concretes, mortars, grouts and cementitious building mixtures.
By improving the performance of cementitious materials, Activator supports higher substitution rates of supplementary cementitious materials and enables lower cement content while maintaining concrete performance.