16 September 2025

China: Cement production fell to 148Mt in August 2025, down by 6.2% year-on-year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. From January to August 2025, production reached 1.105Bnt, representing a 5% decrease year-on-year compared to the same period in 2024.

In July 2025, production reached its lowest level since 2009, at 146Mt.  The drop was attributed to the ongoing real estate crisis, weak infrastructure activity and weather disruptions from heatwaves and storms. Producers are shrinking capacity to better align with demand.

India: Birla Corporation plans to raise its cement production capacity from 20Mt/yr to 27.6Mt/yr by 2028 – 2029 by building grinding units and clinker lines, according to The Pioneer newspaper. Chair Harsh Lodha told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting that the expansion will require a capital expenditure of US$492m.

India: Prism Johnson says that its partner RLJ Cement has completed part of a planned capacity enhancement at the Mirzapur plant in Uttar Pradesh. RLJ Cement has increased its cement production capacity by 0.20Mt/yr to a total of 0.50Mt/yr. Prism Johnson said that the agreement with RLJ is via a non-exclusive supply arrangement, where cement manufactured to Prism Cement’s specifications will be supplied for onward sale.

Following the expansion, Prism Johnson’s outsourced grinding capacity - through supply agreements with multiple units - has increased from 1.17Mt/yr to 1.37Mt/yr. The company said that the Mirzapur plant is now fully operational after the capacity upgrade and forms part of its broader strategy to expand supply tie-ups and scale production to meet rising demand.

South Korea: The Ministry of Environment has announced a pilot project to recycle waste fabric scraps from sewing factories into alternative fuel for the cement industry. The agreement has been signed with: textile companies Pang Rim, Sewang, Sinhan Spinning & Textile; cement companies Ssangyong C&E and Asia Cement; and the Korea Recycling Service Agency (KORA). It expands on an earlier initiative launched in 2024 with four Seoul districts.

Under the project, fabric scraps that were previously incinerated or landfilled will be separated, sorted and processed into intermediate fuel, which cement plants will use in the production process. The Ministry said that KORA will support raw material supply and recycling logistics, while cement firms will adopt the fabric-derived fuel to reduce waste and fossil fuel use.

Kim Go-eung, Director General of the Resources Circulation Bureau, said “The separation, sorting and recycling of waste are essential elements for producing high-quality recycled raw materials. To establish a circular system, we will continue to identify and expand various measures so that the supply of excellent recycled raw materials and the securing of demand sources can be balanced.”

India: Tiruchi Corporation has intensified efforts to manage non-recyclable plastics by diverting them to cement plants for use as alternative fuel. The city generates 400 - 450t/day of waste, of which about 75% is segregated at source. Non-recyclable plastics are collected through door-to-door systems and sent to Dalmia Cements’ and UltraTech Cement’s plants, where they are used as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in the kilns. Since July 2024, 2384t of plastics have been diverted to cement plants.

An upcoming automated material recovery facility at Ariyamangalam, with a capacity of 250t/day, is expected to further improve segregation, ensuring recyclable, non-recyclable, inert and RDF streams are directed to cement plants for reuse.