Calgary’s BURNCO, an aggregate construction materials company with Canadian and U.S. operations, has entered into a binding agreement to sell its Edmonton-area assets to Heidelberg Materials. The transaction includes select aggregates sites, asphalt plants, ready-mix concrete plants, and a cement distribution terminal.
Tom Zais, BURNCO’s CEO, said the transaction is a result of the company’s continued focus on optimizing its asset portfolio for long-term success in key markets across North America.
The transaction involves two companies which have made efforts in the past year to reduce cement’s carbon footprint and drive innovation in their construction practices. Both also selected Calgary-based tech-forward firms to help them.
BURNCO has worked with Calgary’s Carbon Upcycling Technologies to lower its carbon emissions in construction projects across the city. Carbon Upcycling has been in the news this summer as it broke ground on Canada’s first commercial cement carbon capture facility in Ontario. The facility will capture CO₂ emissions from cement production and convert them into low-carbon cement additives.
Heidelberg Materials has collaborated with Calgary’s EnviCore to transform waste and mineral byproducts into low-carbon cement additives. EnviCore announced late last year it had raised $4.2 million in seed funding to advance its innovative low-carbon technologies for the cement and construction industries and to expand production capacity.
The transaction highlights a trend of integrating sustainability into traditional industries. While BURNCO and Heidelberg are focused on operational excellence, they also illustrate the continued shift towards employing green growth strategies in the construction materials sector. This has included tapping into the expertise and talent of two Calgary-based tech pioneers.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and expected to conclude by the end of 2025.
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