Hoffmann Green Cements US Future with €10M Western Expansion Deal

CHAILLÉ-SOUS-LES-ORMEAUX, France – January 15, 2026 – In a significant move that underscores the growing appetite for sustainable construction materials in the United States, French innovator Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has announced a major expansion of its licensing agreement with its American partner, Hoffmann Green USA. The deal, which activates an option for an additional €10 million entry fee, extends the company’s reach to 25 states across the American West, effectively doubling its strategic footprint in one of the world's largest construction markets.

This expansion builds on an initial agreement signed in July 2024 and marks a pivotal moment for the company, which specializes in producing groundbreaking, clinker-free cement with a carbon footprint up to five times lower than traditional Portland cement. The move signals strong confidence from its US partner and validates the technology's commercial potential, recently bolstered by a key American certification.

A Strategic Blueprint for Decarbonization

The financial structure of the deal highlights the seriousness of the US commitment. The new €10 million entry fee is in addition to a previous €10 million tied to options for eastern states, bringing the total entry fees from the US partnership to €20 million. This upfront investment is part of a 30-year licensing agreement that also includes fixed and variable annual royalties calculated from the revenue generated by sales of Hoffmann Green cement.

The partnership is being driven by seasoned entrepreneurs Olivier Ducimetière-Monod, a US-based construction developer with over 35 years of experience, and Francis Beauvallet, CEO of a French construction firm. Their role is to replicate Hoffmann Green's advanced, low-energy production units on American soil, a model that allows the French parent company to scale rapidly without the massive capital expenditure typically required for international expansion.

“The extension of our partnership with Hoffmann Green USA marks a new milestone in our deployment strategy in the United States,” said Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann, co-founders of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, in a statement. “The strength and performance of our technology reinforce our partner's confidence and create the conditions for expanding our collaboration in the US.”

This licensing strategy is further enhanced by a sublicensing clause, which empowers Hoffmann Green USA to authorize other entities to build and operate Hoffmann production units within these new territories. The company has confirmed that discussions with several potential sublicensees are already underway, a move that could dramatically accelerate the technology's adoption across the vast American landscape.

The Race for Certification and Market Access

A critical factor driving the expansion is Hoffmann Green's success in navigating the complex world of US construction standards. The company recently secured ASTM C1157 certification, a crucial US benchmark for hydraulic cements. Unlike traditional prescriptive standards that dictate a cement's chemical composition, ASTM C1157 is performance-based. This is a significant advantage for innovators like Hoffmann Green, as it validates a product based on its strength and durability rather than its formula, opening the door for new materials that don't fit the old mold.

With this certification in hand, the company is now pursuing its next major regulatory milestone: AC 529. This second certification is considered the key to unlocking the most lucrative segment of the construction market—superstructure applications. Obtaining AC 529 would allow Hoffmann Green's H-UKR cement to be included in the ACI 318 standard, published by the American Concrete Institute. Widely regarded as the definitive code for the design and safety of concrete structures in the United States, inclusion in ACI 318 would make the product a viable, code-compliant option for everything from high-rise buildings to major infrastructure projects.

Successfully achieving this certification will not only broaden market access but also trigger the payment of further entry fees from its American partner, directly linking technical validation to financial reward.

A Technological Break from a 200-Year-Old Industry

Hoffmann Green's expansion is built on a genuine technological disruption in an industry that has remained largely unchanged for two centuries. The primary source of carbon emissions in traditional cement production comes from making clinker, a nodular material produced by heating limestone and other materials to temperatures exceeding 1,450°C (2,640°F). This process is incredibly energy-intensive and releases vast amounts of CO2.

The French firm’s technology eliminates this step entirely. Its innovative cements are 0% clinker and are created through a cold production process, which consumes 10 to 15 times less energy than a conventional cement plant. This results in a product that not only meets or exceeds the performance of traditional cement but does so with a dramatically lower environmental impact. Founded in 2014, the company operates two state-of-the-art production facilities in France, including the world's first vertical cement plant, and aims to reach a production capacity of one million tons per year with the construction of a third factory.

This innovation arrives at a critical time. With rising energy costs and mounting pressure from regulations like the US Inflation Reduction Act, which heavily incentivizes decarbonization, the construction sector is actively searching for viable, low-carbon alternatives.

Navigating a Crowded Green Cement Landscape

While Hoffmann Green's technology is revolutionary, it is entering a competitive and rapidly evolving US market. The American green cement market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 10%, fueled by government incentives, corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) targets, and growing public demand for sustainable buildings. North America already represents the largest share of the global green cement market.

Established industry giants are not standing still. CEMEX, a global leader in building materials, has already rolled out its Vertua line of low-carbon concrete across the United States, supplying over a million cubic yards in California alone. Other major players like Holcim and Heidelberg Materials are also investing heavily in their own sustainable product lines.

Beyond the incumbents, a dynamic ecosystem of startups is also vying for market share. Companies like Fortera, CarbonBuilt, and Sublime Systems are pioneering their own methods for creating low or zero-carbon cement, from using captured CO2 in the curing process to developing novel electrochemical production techniques. Hoffmann Green's success will depend on its ability to demonstrate not only the environmental benefits of its technology but also its performance, scalability, and cost-competitiveness in this crowded field.

The company’s strategic expansion into the American West, backed by significant financial investment and a clear path for regulatory approval, positions it as a formidable new player. As discussions with sublicensees progress and the crucial AC 529 certification draws nearer, the industry will be watching closely to see if this French innovation can truly help build a greener American future.