The Cool Climate Concrete

What The Cool Climate Concrete does

The Cool Climate Concrete (C3) Program is a monitored and verified greenhouse gas (GHG) offset program that incentivizes U.S. ready-mixed concrete and concrete products manufacturers to substitute supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag, fly ash, and silica fume for portland cement. The program was originally launched in May 2004 under The Climate Trust's authority as the nonprofit qualified under Oregon's 1997 CO2 Standard, and is administered by West Main Consultants, LLC (a 7group company) following a 2009 restructuring from Horst, Inc. Participation has reached approximately 40 producers across 20+ U.S. states, including national and regional players such as Aggregate Industries, Argos USA, and Concrete Supply Co.

Technically, the program operates on a methodology that establishes company-specific baseline cement-to-clinker ratios using three years of historical production data, applies a default emissions factor of 0.81 mt CO2 per mt of portland cement replaced, and applies a slag-specific adjustment of 0.021 mt CO2 per mt of GGBFS. Offset issuance is third-party verified. Phase I (May 2004–September 2008) retired 250,000 metric tons of CO2 offsets; Phase II (October 2009–2013) targeted an additional 200,000 metric tons, of which roughly 78% had been achieved by September 30, 2013.

The business model is a fixed-price carbon offset purchase: The Climate Trust pays participating producers $4 per metric ton of CO2 avoided, with total committed funding of approximately $1.85 million across both phases. Revenue to participants is therefore capped by offset volumes rather than by pricing power, and the program's economics are entirely dependent on a single offset buyer (The Climate Trust). Go-to-market is direct outreach to ready-mixed and concrete products manufacturers, supplemented by industry conference presence and trade publication engagement.

Name

The Cool Climate Concrete

Legal name

West Main Consultants, LLC

Website

https://coolclimateconcrete.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Cool Climate Concrete (C3) Program is a verified GHG offset program, administered by West Main Consultants and funded by The Climate Trust, that pays U.S. ready-mixed and concrete products manufacturers $4 per metric ton of CO2 avoided for substituting supplementary cementitious materials for portland cement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Offset Verification and Quantification Services

NAICS

Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing (3273), Other Concrete Product Manufacturing (327390)

SIC

Concrete, Gypsum & Plaster Products (3270)

akta.pro primary industry

Cementitious Binders & Additives (Fly Ash, Slag, Silica Fume, Lime) (IMADAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ready-Mix Concrete Production & Delivery (IMADAAAA), Precast Concrete Products (IMADAAAB)

Keywords

• Carbon offset program
• Concrete decarbonization
• Supplementary cementitious materials
• Portland cement reduction
• Verified greenhouse gas offsets

Headquarters

HQ city

Sinking Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Carbon Offset Incentive Payments: Participants earn $4 per metric ton of CO2 avoided (one offset) when their cement-to-concrete ratio falls below their established baseline. Offsets are purchased by The Climate Trust, a nonprofit offset provider, who pays incentive payments to participants. Phase II was funded with up to $800,000 in offset funds from The Climate Trust. The Climate Trust committed $1.85 million in total offset funds across Phase I and Phase II.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Cool Climate Concrete (C3) Program is a monitored and verified greenhouse gas offset program that pays ready mixed concrete manufacturers and concrete products manufacturers $4 per metric ton of CO2 avoided when they substitute supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as GGBFS, fly ash, silica fume, rice hull ash, or cement kiln dust for portland cement in concrete mixes beyond company-specific baselines. Offsets are verified through a quarterly monitoring system, retired upon third-party verification, and purchased by The Climate Trust, a nonprofit funder of the program.

Product overview

The C3 (Cool Climate Concrete) Program is a single, unified GHG offset program administered by West Main Consultants and funded by The Climate Trust. The program incentivizes ready mixed concrete manufacturers and concrete products manufacturers to reduce portland cement use by substituting supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), thereby generating verified carbon offsets. Participants receive $4 per metric ton of CO2 avoided. Phase I (May 2004–September 2008) retired 250,000 metric tons of offsets. Phase II (October 2009–ongoing) targets 200,000 offsets with up to $800,000 in offset funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• C3 (Cool Climate Concrete) Program A monitored and verified greenhouse gas (GHG) offset program that incentivizes ready mixed concrete manufacturers and concrete products manufacturers to replace portland cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as GGBFS, fly ash, silica fume, rice hull ash, or cement kiln dust in their concrete mixes, generating verified carbon offsets that are purchased by The Climate Trust at $4 per metric ton of CO2 avoided.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase I retired 250,000 metric tons of CO2 offsets, equivalent to removing nearly 46,000 vehicles from the road
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers41 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Main Consultants, LLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWest Main Consultants is a sustainable materials firm that administers the C3 Program in collaboration with The Climate Trust. It calculates participant baseline ratios, processes quarterly offset calculations, manages Monitoring Forms, and coordinates third-party verification. Founded by former Horst, Inc. staff (Scot Horst) when he moved to USGBC as Senior Vice President for LEED in April 2009. West Main is a 7group company specializing in innovative environmental programs relating to materials technologies and LEED project management.
• 7groupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner7group is a multi-service sustainable building and integrative design consulting firm that has led project teams on over 50 LEED certified projects and is involved with over 100 registered LEED projects. It has 3 Green Building Certification Institute LEED Project Reviewers and 5 LEED AP BD+C on staff. West Main Consultants is a 7group company, providing the administrative and technical infrastructure for C3 Program operations.
• Athena Institute InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. nonprofit affiliate of the Canadian Athena Sustainable Materials Institute. West Main Consultants contracts to run Athena Institute International. Through this work, West Main is involved with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), regional database development, and LCA education, which supports the scientific rigor of the C3 Program's emissions calculations.
• State of OregoncoreOthersIn 1997, the State of Oregon enacted the Carbon Dioxide Standard, the first U.S. law aimed at reducing CO2 levels by requiring new fossil-fueled power plants to reduce lifetime CO2 emissions by about 17%. All power plants have chosen to meet their obligation by funding The Climate Trust, which selects and manages offset projects like C3. This regulatory framework is the foundational enabling environment for the entire C3 Program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Climate Action Reserve: Climate Action Reserve is a major U.S. carbon offset registry that develops and administers sector-specific offset protocols. Directly comparable to C3 as it creates and operates methodologies that quantify, verify, and issue GHG reductions across industries, providing the same third-party-verified offset infrastructure C3 provides for the concrete sector.
• CarbonCure Technologies: CarbonCure Technologies injects captured CO2 into fresh concrete during mixing to reduce cement content and permanently mineralize the CO2. Directly comparable as a concrete-decarbonization technology company working with ready-mix producers — addressing the same emissions-reduction opportunity as C3 but via a different technical pathway (carbon injection rather than SCM substitution).
• Gold Standard: Gold Standard is a leading carbon credit certification body focused on sustainable development co-benefits. Directly comparable to C3 as it certifies offset methodologies, verifies emissions reductions, and issues credits used by corporate buyers — competing in the same voluntary carbon market C3 ultimately addresses, especially for industrial emissions projects.
• Architecture 2030: Architecture 2030 is a non-profit organization focused on transforming the built environment from a major emitter to a carbon-neutral sector. Comparable to C3 as a climate-focused organization promoting building and construction decarbonization, addressing embodied carbon in materials including concrete — operating in the same advocacy and policy ecosystem.
• Verra: Verra operates the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the world's largest voluntary carbon credit program. Comparable to C3 as a carbon offset standard body that registers methodologies, issues verified credits, and serves corporate voluntary buyers — competing for the same producer-side offset origination activity, particularly as concrete-related methodologies proliferate.
• The Climate Trust: The Climate Trust is C3's sole offset purchaser and core funding partner — a Portland, Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit qualified by the State of Oregon to purchase CO2 offsets. Directly comparable as a mission-driven climate offset funder, it operates similar carbon offset acquisition programs across other sectors and shares C3's regulatory framework under Oregon's 1997 CO2 Standard.

Emerging players

• Solidia Technologies: Solidia Technologies has developed a low-carbon cement and concrete system using CO2 curing rather than water curing, reducing the carbon footprint of precast concrete products. Comparable to C3 as a concrete decarbonization solution targeting similar ready-mix and precast producer customers, though via a proprietary cement chemistry rather than SCM offset methodology.
• Carbon Upcycling: Carbon Upcycling is an emerging clean-technology company that uses CO2 to manufacture supplementary cementitious materials, enabling cement and concrete producers to reduce emissions. Comparable to C3 as it operates in the cement/concrete emissions-reduction space and benefits from the same regulatory tailwinds and corporate Scope 3 demand that drive SCM adoption.

Others

• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): USGBC administers the LEED green building rating system and is the professional home of C3 founder Scot Horst. Comparable as a standards-setting and market-shaping organization whose LEED framework drives demand for low-carbon concrete — and as an ecosystem partner that channels program awareness and producer engagement to C3.
• NRMCA (National Ready Mixed Concrete Association): NRMCA is the leading trade association for the ready-mixed concrete industry and a key C3 promoter through its Concrete Sustainability Conference and Concrete InFocus magazine. Comparable as a critical ecosystem participant that channels participants and amplifies C3's outreach, and a comparable industry-influence platform for concrete decarbonization initiatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cool Climate Concrete