Displaying items by tag: GCW733

There have been a few sustainability-related news stories to note recently in Japan. Firstly, the Renewable Energy Institute (REI) released a report on decarbonisation pathways for the cement industry. Then, this week, the Japan Cement Association (JCA) held a press briefing on the sector’s work towards net zero and it released production and sales data. Finally, on a connected note, a speaker from Sumitomo Osaka Cement gave a presentation on recycling gypsum wallboard for cement production at last week’s Global Gypsum Conference.

The REI’s report is similar to other roadmaps published by cement associations around the world. The differences with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) targets are worth pointing out though. The JCA is more conservative on the use of blended cements. It only specifies an aggregate CO₂ reduction target for 2030, limited to a greater use of alternative fuels (AF) and improved energy efficiency. Similarly, it forecasts clinker factors of 0.825 in 2030 and 0.80 in 2050, compared to the GCCA targets of 0.58 in 2030 and 0.52 in 2050. The report goes on to show that JCA members have higher Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a higher clinker factor than comparable multinationals, including Holcim, Heidelberg Materials and SCG. In summary the REI concludes that the local sector has been delayed in adopting blended cements, slow on using more renewable energy and continues to be reliant on coal.

The JCA’s update is more practical and outlines what can be expected. A benchmarking system for the sector was established in the 2025 financial year. The country’s emissions trading scheme will then start in the 2026 financial year. Companies that emit a three-year average of over 100,000t/yr of CO₂ will be subject to the scheme. The JCA is currently emphasising the sector’s role at the heart of the circular economy. It pointed out that it used just under 22Mt (5%) of the country’s total waste in 2024. It had an AF substitution rate of 27% in that year also. Other waste streams used included over 5Mt of blast furnace slag, over 6Mt of coal ash and around 1.7Mt of flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) gypsum.

That last one ties into a presentation that Yuki Mihashi, Sumitomo Osaka Cement, gave at the recent Global Gypsum Conference, held last week in the Netherlands. He gave an overview of his company’s pilot testing of a carbon capture and utilisation process that uses waste gypsum wallboard and mineralises it to make an artificial limestone from cement plant CO₂ emissions. The current pilot plant is based in Osaka and was completed in June 2025. It consumes 10kg/hr of gypsum and can produce around 5.8kg/hr of calcium carbonate. Gypsum wallboard professionals at the event had previously expressed concerns about competition for raw materials from cement producers. If developments like this one progress to full scale deployment there could potential be repercussions in other industrial sectors.

Graph 1: Cement production in Japan, 2019 - 2025. Source: Japan Cement Association. Figure for 2025 is estimated based on nine-month data.

Finally, the latest data from the JCA shows that cement production fell by 3% year-on-year to 32.99Mt in the first nine months of 2025 from 34Mt in the same period in 2024 . Overall sales followed a similar trend, although exports rose by 9% from 5.91Mt to 6.43Mt. This follows a general decline in cement production in Japan since the mid-1990s.

In summary, work on sustainability in the cement sector continues in Japan as it does elsewhere. The conservative approach to clinker factor forecasts is interesting to note compared to more optimistic projections elsewhere. A slower update of blended cements may explain some of this. Interestingly, Taiheiyo Cement said in June 2025 that it was expanding a hub in Saiki to export blended cements rather than using them domestically. On other issues, a current lower AF substitution rate compared to Europe offers one pathway for emissions reduction. The impending ETS may also galvanise action and investment. Expect plenty more sustainability news in the coming weeks ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP), which is set to take place in mid-November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.

The 1st CemFuels Asia Conference & Exhibition will take place on 2 – 3 February 2026 in Bangkok

Saudi Arabia: Southern Province Cement has appointed Abdulsalam Al-Duraibi as its CEO. He will start his tenure on 1 December 2025.

Al-Duraibi holds experience in the financial and industrial sectors, having held several leadership and executive positions, most recently as the CEO of Najran Cement. He has also worked on the board of directors and specialised committees of several companies. Al-Duraibi holds a master's degree in Business Administration from Seattle University in the US, a bachelor's degree in Information Systems Management from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and is a chartered financial analyst.

Oman: Raysut Cement has appointed Rashid Ali as its Acting CEO. He started his tenure at the start of October 2025. The position will last for three months.

Ali was working as Group Chief Financial Officer and has taken on the role of Acting CEO in addition to this. He holds over 30 years of experience in automative, facilities management, real estate and retail sectors. Notably he worked for DAMAC, Jumeriah International and Renaissance. Ali is a registered chartered accountant.

Greece: Titan Group has hired Carlos Piles Puig as Head of Commercial Growth Europe & Group Head of Innovation.

Piles Puig previously worked for Bekaert in Belgium as its Vice President Building Segment & Operations and its Interim CEO. Prior to this he held roles at LafargeHolcim from 2017 to 2021 as the Head of Europe Ductal and then the Head of EMEA & Asia Ductal. Earlier in his career Piles Puig worked as an architect for companies including NBBJ Design, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Zaha Hadid Architects. He is an architecture graduate of the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain and holds a master’s of business administration (MBA) from the International Institute for Management Development.

US: Sublime Systems has appointed Rob Davies as its CEO. He succeeds Leah Ellis in the post. Ellis, who co-founded the company in 2020 says she will remain “actively engaged.”

Davies joined Sublime Systems in 2024 as an advisor and became its Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the start of 2025. He previously held the position of COO of 6K from 2022 to 2024. He worked for Cabot Corporation in a variety of roles from 2012 to 2022, eventually becoming its VP Global Manufacturing - Reinforcement Materials. Earlier in his career he was the president of Geocycle in the US from 2006 to 2010. He was the plant manager of cement plant in Portland, Colorado for Holcim from 2003 to 2006. Before this, he worked for Lafarge in the UK and Blue Circle in a number of positions including UK Technical Director and UK Operations Officer, and he managed a number of cement plants. Davies holds a master’s degree in mineral process engineering and a master of business administration (MBA) from the University of Warwick.

US: Amrize reported third-quarter 2025 revenue of US$3.68bn, up by 6.6% from US$3.45bn in 2024, driven by strong infrastructure demand and improving commercial markets. The company’s building materials revenue grew by 8.7%, supported by higher volumes in aggregates and shingles, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) reached US$1.07bn. Net income was US$543m, down slightly from US$552m in 2024. Cement sales volumes rose by 6% to 7.1Mt during the third quarter.

Chair and CEO Jan Jenisch said “Together, we delivered strong revenue growth of 6.6% and free cash flow generation of US$674m, up by US$221m. Our Building Materials business had strong sales with increased customer demand, while margin was affected by a temporary equipment outage in our cement network. This quarter, we made progress across our key organic growth investments and kicked off new projects to expand production and improve efficiency.”

India: FLSmidth has signed a contract with UltraTech Cement to supply two new Cross-Bar coolers with HRBs to upgrade the pyroprocessing lines at its Dalavoi and Sankar Nagar plants in Tamil Nadu. The upgrades aim to increase efficiency and productivity at both facilities.

Vietnam: VICEM Ha Tien Cement has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a waste heat recovery power generation project at its Kien Luong cement plant. The agreement is valued at US$7.5m, and was concluded with a consortium of Sinoma International Engineering, Viet Industrial Construction and Installation, and Viet Tuan Trading Construction Architecture.

The consortium will design, supply, construct and install the system, which will utilise residual heat from the clinker line to generate electricity. The project is set for completion within 16 months, and will meet a ‘considerable portion’ of the plant’s internal power needs, according to S&P Global.

India: Shree Cement has commissioned a 20MW solar power plant in Chitrakoot district, Uttar Pradesh. Phase I has achieved commercial operation, with Phase II expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of the 2026 financial year. The facility will supply renewable power to the company’s Etah grinding unit and is expected to offset about 22,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

The project will create 30-40 jobs for the local community. With this commissioning, Shree Cement’s total installed solar capacity stands at 313MW across India.

Managing director Neeraj Akhoury said “Each new plant is an opportunity to innovate, integrate renewable energy and lead the cement sector toward a sustainable, low-carbon future, creating lasting value for both the business and the environment.”

Libya: Preparations are progressing for the launch of the Misrata Cement Plant project, with a technical committee reviewing the steps needed to begin implementation. The committee in Tripoli examined technical and administrative measures for completing the preparatory phase and reviewed geological and soil analysis work by the Industrial Research Centre.

It also followed up on the contract with an international engineering consultancy assisting in negotiations and implementation with China-based Sinoma – Wuhan. A Libyan project manager has been appointed to oversee and evaluate the work of the technical and consulting teams. The meeting formed part of efforts by the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio and the technical committee to move towards construction in line with international standards.