BRISTOL, UK, July 2025. Adaptavate, a global pioneer in developing and industrialising low-carbon and carbon-negative construction materials, has appointed Howard Sutton as head of engineering, strengthening its leadership team as it prepares to deliver Project Crystal — the company’s flagship industrial-scale demonstrator facility.
Project Crystal: from innovation to industrialisation
Project Crystal is Adaptavate’s commercial-scale demonstrator which will showcase the viability of decentralised, low-carbon and carbon-negative plasterboard manufacturing. The project will validate Adaptavate’s technology at industrial scale, unlock regional manufacturing potential, and establish a replicable global model for planet-positive construction.
Project Crystal is intended to illustrate the potential of Adaptavate’s technology to turn CO₂ emissions into regenerative building materials that can also generate carbon credits.
This strategic appointment comes as Adaptavate enters a pivotal phase in scaling its low-carbon and carbon-negative building materials technology — aiming to reshape the construction industry while reducing global CO₂ emissions.
“Having proven the technical viability and global potential of our alternative to plasterboard, Breathaboard, this is about delivery at scale as well as showcasing the carbon credits potential of our technology,” said Tom Robinson, founder and CEO of Adaptavate. “Howard brings deep expertise in scaling hard-to-abate industries and has led numerous major engineering projects. His combination of technical experience and leadership is essential as we lead the consortium for Project Crystal and demonstrate our commercial readiness.”
The appointment of Howard Sutton signals to investors, licensees, and partners that Adaptavate is not only ready to scale — but ready to lead.
“The potential for global impact is huge,” said Howard Sutton, head of engineering at Adaptavate. “Project Crystal will demonstrate how carbon reductions and removal can be embedded in high-performance construction products — turning the linear flows of traditional building materials on their head. I’m excited to be part of this industry-changing initiative.”
A platform for planet and profit
With one of the world’s most-used building materials in its sights — and with carbon-reduction credentials that don’t compromise on performance — Adaptavate is poised to become a cornerstone of the next-generation construction ecosystem. Its technology can help transform buildings into carbon sinks, offering new pathways for decarbonisation across the construction and real estate sectors.
Adaptavate is aligning climate impact with commercial value in a high-volume, global market.
ABOUT ADAPTAVATE
Adaptavate is answering the urgent call to decarbonise construction, by developing the carbon-negative technologies and products needed, and the industrial ecosystem to deploy them fast, anywhere in the world. To deliver this, the business is focusing on commercialising its patented, scalable Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) processes. These processes enable the production of low carbon and carbon-negative construction products including Adaptavate’s flagship, Breathaboard. By licencing its technology, the business facilitates the manufacture of these market-alternative products by anyone, anywhere, resulting in significant carbon removal on a global scale. It is this ‘planet before profit’ model that keeps Adaptavate true to its purpose of building an ecologically regenerative and economically profitable future for all.