Displaying items by tag: GCCA

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched the Low Carbon Ratings (LCR) system for cement and concrete, a new global rating based on products' carbon footprints. The system uses a clear AA to G scale to help customers prioritise sustainability in material selection across construction sectors worldwide.

The GCCA says that the LCR system is designed to be easily recognisable, with a simple visual graphic that indicates a product’s rating and provides consistency and comparability to other products. Countries will be able to adapt the system according to local standards.

Global: Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched the Innovandi Open Challenge 2025, inviting start-ups to wok together with cement manufacturers around the world in developing low carbon concrete technologies.

The Open Challenge is looking for start-ups working on next generation materials for net zero concrete, including low-carbon admixtures, supplementary cementitious materials, activators or binders. The challenge aims to find ways to reduce clinker use and incorporate new materials to lower CO₂ emissions.

The programme follows three previous Open Challenges.

Chief executive Thomas Guillot said "Advanced production methods which are decarbonising our sector are already being used in cement and concrete production in many parts of the world. Through the Innovandi Open Challenge, start-ups can bring in even newer ideas and further accelerate our industry's push."

“If you are a start-up from anywhere in the world with an innovative idea or technology, then we want to hear from you."

Start-ups can find more information and apply to take part in the Innovandi Open Challenge by going to the GCCA Open Challenge 4 webpage: Innovandi Open Challenge 4 : GCCA

Thailand: At COP29 in Azerbaijan, the Thai Cement Manufacturers Association, in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change and Environment, the Global Cement and Concrete Association and United Nations Industrial Development, showcased the achievements of the ‘Saraburi Sandbox’ project. Notable successes include more than 80% of construction projects in Saraburi now using hydraulic cement, the cement industry increasing its use of alternative fuels and renewable energy to 26%, and a pilot project for growing crops like Napier grass for use as alternative fuels in cement production. These developments are key to implementing the Thailand 2050 Net Zero Cement and Concrete roadmap.

India: Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) India has entered talks with UK-based Xynteo and the Build Ahead coalition to scale up decarbonisation in India’s construction sector. The partners have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote low-carbon cement and concrete usage. This two-year collaboration will develop emission thresholds for cement and concrete as a basis for future policy on production and use of low-carbon materials. The initiative will also include joint governmental engagement and the sharing of research for low-carbon building materials.

Deepak Khetrapal, GCCA India co-chair and Orient Cement managing director, said "The reduction of clinker factor and the increasing use of supplementary cementitious materials in cement manufacturing is an important decarbonisation lever for the industry. Developing an India-specific definition for ‘low-carbon’ or ‘green’ cement and concrete is the need of the hour, and it is crucial for the development of a net zero CO₂ roadmap for the Indian cement and concrete industry."

CRH, formerly Cement Roadstone Holdings, announced this week that CEO Albert Manifold is retiring at the end of 2024. He will be replaced by current chief financial officer Jim Mintern in the role. Manifold will continue to work as an advisor to CRH in 2025. Manifold’s time at the head of CRH marks a decade of considerable change at the group. Crudely, CRH had a market capitalisation of US$19bn at the start of 2014 when Manifold became CEO. At the end of 2023 the group’s market capitalisation was US$50bn.

From a cement sector perspective the big events during Manifold’s tenure include CRH’s acquisition of assets around the world from the Lafarge-Holcim merger in 2015, the purchase of Ash Grove Cement in the US in 2018, the divestment of various businesses in emerging markets and the move of the company’s primary listing to the New York Stock Exchange in 2023. However, at the same time, CRH has been constantly sharpening its portfolio. So, for example, the group bought Germany-based lime and aggregates company Fels in 2017 only to later sell off its European lime business in 2023 and 2024. In the late 2010s the group sold off its US and Europe-based distribution businesses. Then, in 2022, it divested its Building Envelope business. Manifold was also the inaugural president of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) when it formed in 2018.

Fairly or unfairly, CRH has given the sense over the last decade of often being ahead of the curve in following the cement markets. After it increased its portfolio when Lafarge and Holcim merged, it sold up relatively quickly in India and Brazil. Famously during an earnings call for CRH’s second quarter results in 2019, Manifold said that the group was prioritising its businesses in the developed world. CRH’s focus on the US in the late 2010s through the acquisition of Ash Grove Cement set it up well for the current strength of the cement market in North America, long before others joined the party. Another striking Manifold statement came at the company’s annual general meeting in 2023 when, in the run-up to the US listing move, he described his company as a ‘de facto’ American company.

Things that may have gone less well for Manifold on the cement side, that we know about, include CRH’s quiet attempt to divest its business in the Philippines in the late 2010s. The company wasn’t alone in trying through. Holcim publicly said that it had signed a deal to sell its local business in 2019 only to declare that it wasn’t happening the following year. Cemex is currently in the process of selling its subsidiary in the country, DMCI Holdings, but it hasn’t concluded yet. More recent acquisitions such as assets from Martin Marietta Materials in Texas in early 2024 and a majority stake in Adbri in Australia are clearly strategic and fit the definition of ‘bolt-on’ but they seem to lack the grand ambition of the earlier big deals.

Questions have also been asked about Manifold’s pay over the years. From 2016 onwards the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), for example, has repeatedly raised concerns about executive pay rises at CRH and recommended on occasion that shareholders reject them. Manifold became the highest paid head of an Irish public company and was reportedly the third highest paid CEO on the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index (FTSE 100) in 2022. His response from one interview with the Irish Times newspaper in 2018 was simply: “I’m employed and paid very well to deliver shareholder returns.”

Looking back over the last decade, CRH was well placed to take advantage of the Lafarge-Holcim merger before Manifold started in 2014 but once he was in place it went for it and he led the charge. Yet, the Ash Grove Cement acquisition may prove to be the more momentous move given the current divergence of the European and North American markets. As readers may remember from the time, Summit Materials made a public counter offer but it was rebuffed. Albert Manifold was in charge of CRH and so he takes the credit. These are big shoes to fill. As Richie Boucher, the chair of CRH said in Manifold’s outgoing statement, “Under Albert’s leadership CRH has delivered superior growth and performance with consistently improving profitability, cash generation and returns.”

New Zealand: Neocrete has entered a partnership with major cement manufacturers, including Cemex, Heidelberg Materials, CRH, Titan, Cementos Argos and Ultratech Cement to promote its new Activator product aimed at reducing the amount of cement required in concrete. The product uses volcanic ash or residual ash from industrial processes to cut the amount of cement required by 40% to 50%, according to the company. Neocrete aims to replace cement completely, resulting in carbon-free concrete, by 2027. The new product will be submitted for life cycle assessment once a new pilot plant in Mt Wellington is operational. The plant is valued at US$2m and will produce 0.12Mt/yr of cement, to meet 10% of New Zealand’s demand.

Co-founder Zarina Bazoeva said "We don't need to produce the whole volume of cement. We activate the concrete chemically with a small catalyst at 3kg compared to 100kg of cement. So, we can scale fast."

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have entered a partnership to accelerate the decarbonisation of the cement and concrete industry, focusing on the global south. This collaboration, formalised through a memorandum of understanding, commits both organisations to advancing sustainability and decarbonisation. Their joint efforts will include developing low-emission technologies, organising international events and promoting industry solutions globally.

GCCA CEO Thomas Guillot said "Through our net zero roadmap and the accelerator programme we have put in place, we are already working with policymakers, governments and industry to overcome procurement and resourcing challenges across the global south. Having this ground-breaking agreement with UNIDO is a natural progression which we hope will fast-track progress in a meaningful way."

Global: Ministers from Canada and the UAE have established priority actions to decarbonise the global sector. The announcement follows the initiative's launch at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in December 2023.

The plan outlines sector-specific actions across themes such as education, innovation and environmental coordination. These efforts aim to make ‘near-carbon neutral’ cement production the preferred option globally by 2030.

In addition, the government of Canada and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) have announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating decarbonisation in Thailand’s cement and concrete sectors. The collaboration was unveiled in conjunction with the CEO Gathering and Leaders Conference in Bangkok, hosted by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). The partnership will provide technical assistance and investment support to develop policies, a regulatory framework and a national net-zero roadmap.

Global: Policymakers, including those from the governments of Canada, the UAE and Thailand, are meeting cement industry CEOs in Bangkok to discuss how to further advance the decarbonisation of the cement industry. Thailand’s Minister of Industry, Pimphattra Wichaikul, opened the conference.

Wichaikul said “Thailand is one of the first countries in the word with a credible national roadmap for delivering on the cement industry’s net zero commitments. Key to success is innovation, cross-sectorial cooperation, strong leadership with clear targets and international collaboration to drive policy and implementation.”

Fernando González, CEO of Cemex and President of the GCCA, said “We have strong commitments and are already delivering the goal of building a more sustainable industry, and by working with governments, policymakers, built environment experts and other key players we have the opportunity to accelerate our progress in this important ‘decade to deliver’.”

The UN’s Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) also unveiled a new package of investment, technical and other support, to help Thailand decarbonise its own cement industry.

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced new collaborations between global cement manufacturers and technology start-ups, focusing on the development of low carbon concrete. Four start-ups—EnviCore in Canada, Queens Carbon and Chement, both in the US and NeoCrete in New Zealand—were part of the 2023 GCCA Innovandi Open Challenge and have now partnered with cement manufacturers. These partnerships aim to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

The startups will receive access to industry plants, labs and networks to fast-track their technologies. They will also demonstrate their progress on 6th June 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, during the GCCA's CEO and Leaders Conference. The association continues its efforts under the 2050 Net Zero Concrete Roadmap, with 29 new start-ups shortlisted this year to work on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology.