Displaying items by tag: Launch

UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched the GCCA Industry EPD Tool (Version 2.0) to support the publication of environmental product declarations (EPDs) by cement and concrete producers. Originally commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Cement Sustainability Initiative, the new GCCA Industry EPD Tool includes the latest database of energy impacts from cement production from across the world, supporting the output of more accurate EPD data. The GCCA is making the tool available to all producers and organisations in the cement and concrete industry to increase availability to designers and clients of EPDs to support the sector deliver a sustainable built environment.

“We are committed to supporting the cement and concrete industry to reduce its environmental impact and support global sustainability goals. With the launch of the new EPD Tool, we are enabling the industry and its customers to better quantify and verify the life cycle environmental impact of existing products and to develop lower-impact products in the future,” said Andrew Minson, GCCA Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director.

The GCCA Industry EPD Tool has been developed by Quantis, verified by Studio Fieschi, and the GCCA says it is the first industry tool in the International EPD System. It is based on internationally recognised standards and product category rules.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa CEO Michael Puchercos re-introduced the company’s fast-setting and early-strengthening Supaset cement at a product launch in Lagos on 2 October 2019. The Guardian Nigeria has reported that the new and improved Supaset has been specially refined to suit climate conditions across the country. In line with the ‘Building for Growth’ pillar of its Strategy 2022, the cement is packaged in horizontal bags for ease of block making.

Dominican Republic: Cementos Argos has launched new branding under the tagline of 'imagine all we can build together.' Gary De la Rosa, chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, said that it would enhance the value the company offered to its customers, according to the Hoy newspaper. The Colombian company operates two ready-mix concrete plants and a cement grinding plant in the country.

Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) has launched CPII – C40, a composite cement product. The pozzolanic product is intended for use in structural projects. Its properties include high initial resistance and increased resistance against water. The new product was publicly launched at the EXPO-FAIR Mariano Roque Alonso.

India/UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched GCCA India. As part of GCCA’s strategic partnership with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development the new office, based in Mumbai, will take over the work of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) India, which formerly served as the sector’s sustainability alliance.

GCCA India plans to ensure that, from a sustainability angle, innovation in technology and manufacture, and collaboration across the wider built environment, the Indian cement sector can play a key leadership role. It will develop a work program that will focus on the wider global GCCA priorities but with practical application across the Indian built environment.

India: Cement producers and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have launched the Indian Cement Sector SDG Roadmap. The planning framework uses the United Nation’s (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG) to set a series of goals in energy and climate, people and communities, the circular economy and natural resource management. It is intended to contribute to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This initiative has been convened by nine cement companies: ACC, Ambuja Cement, CRH, Dalmia Cement (Bharat), Heidelberg Cement, Shree Cement, Orient Cement, UltraTech Cement, Votorantim Cimentos. It is also partially funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Notable goals from the roadmap include promoting railway and waterway transport networks, improving transport safety, increasing the use of blended cements and encouraging the use of alternative fuels. The framework also plans to increase the number of women in the indsutry workforce at every level from entry to board.

UK: Aggregate Industries has launched its Lafarge Endure SR, a CEM II blended cement product that uses fly ash. It says that the product has a lower embodied CO₂, has improved plastic and hardened properties when used in concrete and has enhanced suitability for all ground types. Lafarge Endure SR is resistant to sulphates, allowing contractors and suppliers to scope a wider variety of projects. It also uses 10% less water than CEM I products to reach a workable consistency and offers improved pumpability and mixing efficiency.

“As its name suggests, Lafarge Endure SR is designed to dramatically increase the longevity of the concrete it forms a part of. It is a great solution for contractors that want to reduce the environmental impact of their build while simultaneously improving its life span,” said Steve Curley, Commercial Director at Aggregate Industries.

Philippines: Republic Cement has launched Kapit-Balay Masonry Cement. The type S high-strength masonry cement product is intended for plastering, brick or block laying and block filling. The product is being produced at the company’s Danao plant in Debu.

Netherlands: Ferus Smit has launched MV Shetland at its Westerbroek Yard. The 8000DWT vessel is the third dedicated cement carrier built for JT Cement, a joint venture between Sweden’s Erik Thun and Norway’s Jebsen Cement.

The ship is equipped with a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled propulsion system to reduce its emissions. It incorporates a 200m³ pressurised LNG tank positioned in the foreship. The cement cargo system will consist of a fully automated cement loading and unloading system, based on fluidisation of cement by means of compressed air.

UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched its first six sustainability guidelines. The six guidelines include a number of key performance indicators (KPI) against which full member companies must monitor and report on their sustainability performance across a number of key activities. The guidelines include monitoring and reporting CO₂ emissions and other emissions from cement manufacturing, co-processing of fuels and materials, safety and water usage.

“Signing up to the guidelines emphasises the cement and concrete sector’s commitment to sustainable development including its critical work to reducing global CO₂ emissions,” said GCCA Cement Director Claude Lorea.

To achieve the extended compliance, full GCCA members will have their data and targets verified and reported publicly. GCCA intends to communicate data publicly in a consolidated format. In November 2018 the GCCA published a Sustainability Charter which set out five key pillars, which it says encompasses the sustainability spectrum of the cement and concrete sector.