23 October 2025

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa recorded sales of US$533bn in the first nine months of 2025, up by 63% year-on-year from US$327m. Its operating profit more than doubled to US$204m, from US$88.9m in the first nine months of 2024. The company grew its profit after tax to US$142m, more than triple its nine-month 2024 figure of US$41.1m. The producer attributed the growth to an increase in sales volumes and operational efficiency gains.

CEO Lolu Alade-Akinyemi said "Building on the performance from previous quarters, the third quarter of 2025 showcased our cost discipline, strategic market positioning, unwavering commitment to value creation and strong operational efficiency – demonstrated by a 7% year-on-year improvement in capacity utilisation."

China: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has enacted new regulations requiring cement producers to align cement production with their registered production capacity. It further reminded the industry to adhere to a prohibition on building new capacity and an enforced phase-out of older existing plants. People’s Daily Online News has reported that the ministry is responding to the issue of oversupply and the need for sustainable development.

China Building Materials Federation (CBMF) has forecast a reduction in total national production capacity of 500Mt/yr under ongoing efforts. It plans to establish a disclosure and supervision platform for capacity management. Cement production fell by 23% between 2021 and 2024, according to CBMF data.

Cement producer BBMG Corporation said "We will restructure existing capacity, accelerate the phase-out of inefficient production and increase the share of advanced capacity to achieve value-added growth through optimising existing assets."

Europe: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has begun deliveries of EvoZero carbon-captured cement to customers across Europe. Subsidiary Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe produces EvoZero cement at its net-zero Brevik cement plant in Norway. Early adopters to purchase the product include Sweden-based Skanska for its construction of the Skøyen metro station in Oslo, Norway.

Heidelberg Materials launched a 400,000t/yr, 50% carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at the Brevik plant on 18 June 2025. The plant’s capture and storage data are verified by certification organisation DNV Business Assurance Germany and digitally recorded in Heidelberg Materials' proprietary Carbon Bank.

CEO Dr Dominik von Achten said "I am proud and pleased that the entire process chain is now in place and that our CCS plant in Brevik is now directly contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions in construction. EvoZero is proof of our commitment to driving real measurable decarbonisation and leading the transformation of the construction industry."

Japan: The Renewable Energy Institute (REI) has published The Decarbonisation Pathway for Japan's Cement Industry, a report on strategies to ensure cement industry decarbonisation in line with a global 1.5°C climate change limit. The report found that the calcination of limestone gives rise to 60% of process CO₂ emissions from Japanese cement production. The report reviews possibilities for tackling emissions both from calcination and from other sources. In the former category, it noted scope for clinker factor reduction. Japan Cement Association members recorded an average clinker factor of 0.8 and Scope 1 emissions of 680kg/t of cementitious product in 2024. REI contrasted this with India-based Dalmia Bharat, which had a clinker factor of 0.6 and Scope 1 emissions of 467kg/t.

Germany/Norway: Heidelberg Materials will supply its EvoBuild 3D printing concrete for use in property developer KrausGruppe’s DreiHaus residential construction project in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg. PERI 3D Construction and Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck will execute the project, which consists of three three-storey tower blocks.

Heidelberg Materials says that it will supply a concrete blend featuring its EvoZero carbon-captured cement for the third tower block, the first application of the product in Germany. Subsidiary Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe produces EvoZero cement at its net-zero Brevik cement plant in Norway.