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The Polish Cement Association (SPC) has taken a swing at mounting cement imports from outside of the European Union (EU) in recent weeks. Its ‘apocalyptic’ message was underlined by the name of a seminar it participated in at the European Parliament: “Is the end of cement production in the EU approaching?” The SPC’s primary target appeared to be imports from Ukraine. It said that, “...cement imports from Ukraine - only to Poland - have increased by almost 3000% over five years (2019 - 2024). (In 2024) it amounted to more than 650,000t, and forecasts for 2025 already indicate more than 1Mt.” However, it detailed other issues affecting the sector including high energy prices, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and decarbonisation costs such as carbon capture.

The SPC is clearly keen to find cross-country support in the EU. In its accompanying statement it said "The uncontrolled increase in imports - from Ukraine to Poland or Romania, and from Türkiye and Africa to Italy or Spain - is already directly threatening cement producers, and will only continue to rise until the full implementation of the CBAM. It shows that imports from outside the EU are not just a problem for Poland.” Representatives from the cement associations in the later countries - CIROM, AITEC and Oficemen - all added comments to the SPC statement.

The SPC has called for a customs quota on cement imports from Ukraine to Poland to be introduced. It also asked for the European Commission to extend the EU ETS indirect cost compensation scheme to include the cement sector in order to further hedge against rising energy bills. It argues that this measure is essential to keep the cement industry competitive both now and in the future. Future electricity consumption is expected to double as cement plants start to install carbon capture technology.

Graph 1: Domestic cement sales and imports in Poland, 2019 - 2024. Source: SPC, Eurostat. Note: 2024 sales estimated.

Data from the SPC suggests that domestic cement sales in Poland peaked at 19.4Mt in 2022. They fell by 12% year-on-year to 16.6Mt in 2023 and then appear to have grown to 17.1Mt in 2024 based on estimated data. It is hard to replicate the SPC’s methodology for determining cement imports into Poland based on Eurostat data. However, data in its Economic Impact Report published at the end of 2024 suggests that imports from Ukraine grew from 79,000t in 2019 to 332,000t in 2023. Any significant rise in imports of cement in 2024, as the local industry recovered from the decline in 2023, seems likely to have caused concern.

Polish concern at growing imports from Ukraine started to be expressed in the press from early 2024 onwards when the 2023 data became apparent. Germany had been the biggest source of imports from the mid-2010s. Yet Germany and Ukraine both supplied about 30% of total imports each in 2023. For example, SPC head Zbigniew Pilch noted in April 2024 that imports from Ukraine were growing steadily each month and represented nearly half of total imports in January 2024. He described these volumes as “deeply concerning.” The Association of Cement Producers in Ukraine (Ukrcement) later attempted to soothe Polish concerns in late 2024 looking at longer import trends and bringing up the challenges facing Ukraine-based producers operating in a warzone.

Concerns about imports from Ukraine in eastern countries in the EU go back decades but have been clouded by the war with Russia. This is now reasserting itself as import levels grow, the cost of decarbonising heavy industry becomes more urgent and the CBAM comes into force. That said , cement plants in Ukraine look unlikely to cope with the CBAM that well due to their relatively high emissions intensity. Yet, other exporting countries outside the EU with lower cement sector emissions intensities may simply displace their competitors. Hence, the SPC’s call for a quota. The kinds of arguments that the SPC is making about carbon leakage are likely to grow fiercer across the EU as the definitive stage of the CBAM, due to start in 2026, draws nearer. Will the current situation lead to ‘the end of cement production in the EU?’ Time will tell…

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia has appointed Indrieffouny Indra as President Director following its annual general meeting (AGM) held on 23 May 2025. He succeeds Donny Arsal in the role, who had been in post since 2021. Notable roles in Indrieffouny Indra’s employment history include President Director at Semen Padang from 2024 to 2025, Director of Operations at Semen Padang from 2022 to 2024 and Independent Commissioner at Wijaya Karya Beton from 2020 - 2022. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Sriwijaya University and a master of management qualification from Andalas University.

Other appointments confirmed at the AGM include Dicky Saelan as Director of Sales and Marketing, Dennis Pratistha as Director of Business Development and Strategy, Sigit Prastowo as Director of Finance and Risk Management, Hadi Setiadi as Director of Human Capital and Sigit Widyawan as President Commissioner.

India: Grasim Industries has appointed Hemant Kumar Kadel as its Chief Financial Officer. He will start the role on 15 August 2025. He succeeds Pavan Kumar Jain.

Kadel, aged 56 years, originally joined Aditya Birla Group in 1991 as a management trainee. He has worked across multiple businesses in the group, including Aditya Birla Nuvo, Birla White and Grasim CFD. Notable work in the cement sector includes expanding and restructuring the group’s white cement business. He currently heads the Corporate Taxation Function for Grasim Industries, where he oversees taxation, internal audit, risk management and mergers and acquisitions. Kadel is a commerce graduate from the University of Rajasthan with further qualifications from the London Business School, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, ICFAI University and IIM Ahmedabad.

Türkiye: Cement exports rose by 1% year-on-year to US$1.4bn during the first four months of 2025, according to the Turkish Ministry of Trade. In April 2025, exports totalled US$389m, up by 16% compared to March 2024. Over the 12-month period to April 2025, cement exports reached US$4.32bn.

Cement exports to Kyrgyzstan fell by 78% year-on-year to US$123,050 in April 2025. In the first four months of 2025, cement exports to Kyrgyzstan dropped by 31% year-on-year to US$927,096.

Ghana: Cement manufacturers have failed to comply with a Cement Manufacturing Development Committee (CMDC) directive to declare ex-factory prices for 50kg cement bags by 23 May 2025, in line with the Ghana Standards Authority Legislative Instrument 2491, which mandates the reporting of prices every month.

CMDC chair Alex Dodoo confirmed on 27 May 2025 that no firm had complied and said the committee would hold an emergency meeting to consider sanctions. “The law is clear, and we will not hesitate to apply the necessary penalties,” he said.

US: Fortera has achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification for its ReCarb Plant in Redding, California, which produces 15,000t/yr of ReAct low-carbon cement. The international certification establishes protocols for quality management systems and ensures delivery of products and services that meet regulatory requirements. Fortera said that the certification process involved months of internal audits, documentation of operating procedures and responding to third party feedback.

India: India Cements has successfully completed a de-bottlenecking initiative at its Banswara cement plant in Rajasthan, increasing its production capacity by 0.3Mt/yr. The company’s cement manufacturing capacity now stands at 14.75Mt/yr.

Europe: Heidelberg Materials and environment consultancy Arup have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on decarbonisation of the built environment through carbon capture and storage-enabled cement and concrete.

The partners will conduct joint research and technical analysis on the deployment of CCS technologies across cement and concrete production. Heidelberg Materials and Arup previously began collaborating in November 2024 to assess the benefits and feasibility of carbon-captured cement and concrete.

Ukraine: The Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade has extended anti-dumping duties on cement from Russia, Belarus and Moldova until 2030, according to Ukrainian News. The duties stand at 115% for Russian cement, 94% for Moldovan cement and 57% for Belarusian cement, following a review of measures first imposed in 2019.

Armenia: The Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly has approved a fourfold increase on cement import duty, in a bid to protect domestic producers from cheaper Iranian imports, according to Arminfo News. Cement production in Iran is reportedly cheaper due to state subsidies and low energy prices, and is exported in large volumes to neighbouring countries, including Armenia. The new duty intends to create equal competition in the sector. According to the State Revenue Committee, cement imports to Armenia rose by 72% year-on-year to 436,000t in 2024.