UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has called on the government to favour ‘British-made’ materials, including cement, in procurement. The cement industry is currently excluded from the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme and may lose competitiveness against imports due inadequate policy responses to the incoming EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), according to the association. Energy costs are reportedly ‘sky high,’ while sustainability policies reportedly cost the sector an extra €95.9m in 2025, up by 82% decade-on-decade from 2015 levels.
British cement production reduced its CO₂ emissions by 63% between 1990 and 2025, and could achieve a further 75% reduction through the deployment of current carbon capture projects up to 2035, according to the MPA. UK cement imports from outside the EU reached a 10-year high in March 2026, following a diversion of former EU import streams to the UK in order to avoid CBAM charges.