We accelerate sustainable roadbuilding by advancing technologies that are better for people and the planet
The world's most essential infrastructure is rebuilt using a process that is costly and carbon-intensive
Conventional road rehabilitation relies on hot mix and warm mix asphalt (HMA and WMA), materials produced at centralized plants and trucked to every jobsite. That dependence creates six distinct challenges for the road networks global economies run on.
Quarry
Mining of virgin stone aggregate and hauling to plant
Bitumen
Petroleum extracted from oil sands hauled to a plant for processing for use as binder
Plant Heating
Heated to 300°F+
and mixed
Hauling to Site
Hot mix trucked from plant to site ~400 trips
per lane-mile
Waste Surplus
Asphalt millings are hauled away from site
High Emissions Baseline
Conventional asphalt paving projects require five separate carbon-intensive operations before asphalt touches the road.
Conventional methods like Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) dominate the industry, and can only incorporate up to 25% recycled material.
70-110 tonnes CO₂ per lane-mile from conventional methods
What is cold recycled asphalt?
Cold recycled asphalt is a highly sustainable, unheated paving method that rehabilitates roads by maximizing the reuse of existing materials. This process is executed either in-place, by pulverizing the deteriorating road surface and mixing it immediately with binding agents like emulsified or foamed asphalt, or at a central plant by repurposing surplus millings salvaged from hot or warm mix asphalt (HMA/WMA) projects.
By binding these reclaimed materials together without the energy-intensive high temperatures required in traditional paving, cold recycling drastically cuts greenhouse gas emissions, conserves virgin aggregates, and creates a durable, cost-effective new pavement layer.
~60%
AVG. GHG reduction
~45%
Cost savings
100%
Material reused
15-20 yr
Life extension
Failed Roads Qualify
Cold recycling is a reconstruction method, not a maintenance treatment. The road must have reached the end of its structural life, where resurfacing and repair are no longer effective solutions.
Mill and Remove Aged Asphalt
A cold recycler pulverizes the existing asphalt and base layers into loose material in a single pass. The failed road becomes the raw material for the new one, processed entirely on site.
Material Processed
The pulverized material is processed into a uniform, size and engineered mix.
Recycled and Remixed
A recycling agent is introduced into the reclaimed material, reactivating the old binder and transforming it into a structurally stable base layer without heat.
Compacted and Installed
The finished cold mix is laid right behind the recycling train and immediately compacted, allowing traffic to reopen within hours. It’s highly efficient: contractors typically finish 1 to 1.5 center line miles per shift, making it two to three times faster than conventional repaving.
Circularity
100% material reuse
Existing pavement becomes structural feedstock. No quarry expansion, no virgin aggregate. The road regenerates itself.
Air Quality
Zero plant VOC emissions
Ambient-temperature process, no plant heating, no stack emissions, no community exposure to volatile organic compounds and diesel particulate.
GHG Emissions
Avg 60% reduction
88-146 tCO₂/lane-mile baseline collapses to 38-125 depending on technique. Verified under VM0039.
Community Health
Less HMA plant reliance
Fewer truck trips through burdened neighborhoods. Reduces dependence on the 3,600 HMA plants disproportionately sited near vulnerable communities.
Speed
1 mile per day production
Same-day reopening. Communities aren't displaced by construction for weeks. Freight isn't rerouted across the network.
Cost
~45% project savings
Resurfacing ~$330K/lane-mile drops dramatically. Cold recycling stretches limited DOT budgets across more lane-miles per dollar.
Circularity
100% material reuse
Existing pavement becomes structural feedstock. No quarry expansion, no virgin aggregate. The road regenerates itself.
Air Quality
Zero plant VOC emissions
Ambient-temperature process, no plant heating, no stack emissions, no community exposure to volatile organics.
GHG Emissions
Avg 60% reduction
70-110 tCO₂/lane-mile baseline collapses to 32-55 depending on technique. Verified under VM0039.
Community Health
Less HMA plant reliance
Fewer truck trips through burdened neighborhoods. Reduces dependence on the 3,600 HMA plants disproportionately sited near vulnerable communities.
Speed
1 mile per day production
Same-day reopening. Communities aren't displaced by construction for weeks. Freight isn't rerouted across the network.
Lower Cost
~45% project savings
More roads paved per public dollar spent.
742 road segments across 5 verified projects in 24 states
Road reconstruction projects across public and private networks, from national parks to urban corridors, each delivering lower costs, fewer truck trips, extended road life, and emission reductions verified under the Verified Carbon Standard through VM0039, the first methodology of its kind.
Project I-64, Virginia
Region
Virginia, United States
MT Recycled Asphalt
Trips Cut
Lane MI
Emissions Reduced (tCO2e)
395,925
6,049
214
17,790
Project Midstate
Region
CO/IN/IA/MN/MO/NV/ND/TN/UT/WI/WY, United States
MT Recycled Asphalt
Trips Cut
Lane MI
Emissions Reduced (tCO2e)
1,615,852
69,362
1,502
118,521
US Project #1, West Coast
Region
California, United States
MT Recycled Asphalt
Trips Cut
Lane MI
Emissions Reduced (tCO2e)
252,671
7,110
255
21,116
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Project California
Region
California, United States
MT Recycled Asphalt
Trips Cut
Lane MI
Emissions Reduced (tCO2e)
567,267
21,807
541
44,960
US Project #2, East Coast
Region
NY/PA/CT/VT/RI/NH/ME, United States
MT Recycled Asphalt
Trips Cut
Lane MI
Emissions Reduced (tCO2e)
2,306,637
86,550
2,413
182,586
Trusted Partners & Standards
ClimatePave works within established carbon markets, recognized standards, and industry frameworks to ensure every project is measurable, auditable, and built for real-world adoption. Our work is shaped by the organizations, registries, and standards advancing credible climate action and lower-carbon infrastructure.
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