Swabian innovation in Ukraine. Recycling in road construction

Lviv is located in the west of Ukraine, around 80 kilometres from the Polish border. Although the front lines of the war are far away, the infrastructure was not spared from Russian attacks. But even before the war, Lviv's roads, like those in other Ukrainian cities, were in a state of disrepair. IBS GmbH wants to change that. Together with OPIS AG and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the company is in the starting blocks for a road construction project that could point the way forward for Ukraine. The aim is to rebuild 7,000 square metres of road surface - efficiently, cost-effectively and in a way that conserves resources. The project is being supported as part of develoPPP, a funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). ‘In Ukraine, quick solutions are needed to rehabilitate the infrastructure network,’ says Julian Bihl, Managing Director of IBS GmbH. But how can sustainable road construction work under these circumstances?

Saving large amounts of CO2

The answer to this can be found in Herrenzimmern in Swabia, the company headquarters of IBS GmbH. It was here that Julian Bihl's father, Hansjörg Bihl, developed a binding agent around 20 years ago that was to change road construction in the long term. Previously, conventional road renovation involved a great deal of effort: Specialists first had to remove the old substance and dispose of it at great expense before transporting new construction materials from far away and installing them. The binding agent from Bihl called Novocrete simplifies this process enormously: mixed with cement, the building material is milled into the ground and changes the crystalline structure of the soil. This ensures stability and frost protection. Construction project groups can often recycle almost all of the existing building material. New material is no longer needed. ‘In this way, we can usually reduce CO2 emissions by around 60 to 70 per cent,’ says Julian Bihl, whose teams calculate how much CO2 the construction projects can save for each project.

Innovation in a tough market

At first, however, nobody wanted to buy Novocrete, remembers Julian Bihl. ‘You always step on someone's toes with an innovation.’ The market was conservative, the road construction regulations strict. ‘In our desperation, we went door-to-door.’ The father and son team approached construction companies, road construction authorities and universities and carried out pilot projects. Success came with time and hard sales work. To date, IBS GmbH has implemented around 1,500 projects worldwide and renovated almost 15 million square metres of road. In 2023, Novocrete received the German Innovation Award - even before some AI projects: ‘Of course, we were delighted because we felt we had hit a nerve. However, the long time between development and the award shows how long it can take for innovations to become established,’ says Julian Bihl.

Knowledge transfer of fundamental importance

Today, IBS is active worldwide, especially in Asia, Africa and South America. Every soil, every road, every project is different. ‘Originally, we were only interested in stabilising the soil with Novocrete. But sometimes we encounter completely different challenges during a project. Then, for example, it's about how we can manage to remove pollutants from the soil.’ To ensure that remediation projects are sustainable in every respect, IBS always offers training for on-site personnel. This includes local authorities, road construction authorities, construction companies, universities and laboratories. In addition, customers receive a guideline that accompanies them throughout the entire project and is intended to give them security. ‘It contains everything needed for the project, from acquisition to planning and implementation to monitoring,’ says Julian Bihl. ‘Know-how transfer is simply part of such projects - that's the only way it works.’

Win-win situation for companies and Ukraine

Close cooperation is also planned for the renovation project in Lviv. In October 2024, Julian Bihl received a delegation from the city, consisting of representatives from the road construction administration and two university professors. He demonstrated to the Ukrainian guests how working with Novocrete works in practice. ‘In the beginning, we will still be providing advice on the construction site or in the laboratory,’ says Julian Bihl. ‘But the aim is for the Ukrainian project managers to be able to work on other similar construction projects on their own in the medium term.’ In the end, both sides benefit: IBS establishes contacts, expands its portfolio and gains access to the Ukrainian market, which urgently needs favourable solutions for road renovations. Ukrainian municipalities, on the other hand, can improve their road infrastructure quickly, environmentally friendly and, above all, cost-effectively on their own in the long term.

Support from develoPPP

GIZ and the develoPPP funding programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) also played an important role in making the cooperation possible. At an event organised by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), Julian Bihl and Ottmar Rienhoff-Gembus (Head of Innovation at IBS) met Mathias Brandt, a Business Scout for Development from the Agency for Business and Development (AWE). He learned about the funding programme from him and applied with IBS GmbH as part of a special tender for Ukraine. Through develoPPP, the BMZ is now funding the project with almost EUR 200,000 out of a total volume of around EUR 410,000. GIZ identified relevant stakeholders, organised the Lviv delegation's visit to Germany and provided support with project coordination in Ukraine. ‘We told GIZ what kind of contacts we were looking for and they found suitable interested parties through their local network. That helped us a lot,’ says Julian Bihl. Construction work is due to start in Lviv in spring 2025. ‘If the project goes well, we hope that it could set a precedent in Ukraine,’ says Julian Bihl.

Want to find out more about funding opportunities? You can find more information on the develoPPP website.