Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

Europe: Cembureau has released an update to its net zero roadmap. The roadmap now aims for a 37% reduction in CO₂ emissions related to cement production by 2030, 78% by 2040 and net zero cement production by 2050, with potential to become carbon negative.

The roadmap also states the key policy measures needed to meet these updated goals, including: The implementation of a watertight carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), the increase in funding for decarbonisation initiatives, the need for guaranteed access to affordable decarbonised energy, infrastructure and raw materials, as well as the creation of lead markets for low carbon, circular products.

President of Cembureau, Ken McKnight said "In the past four years, the European cement sector has clearly moved from ambition to deployment. We have the potential to scale up our climate ambition, but we need policymakers to match this ambition through decisive policies."

UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has acquired Bristol-based B&A Group. B&A Group employs a team of 70 and specialises in recycled and primary aggregate supply, site clearance, earthworks, land remediation and sustainable land regeneration. In its most successful year in 2023, the company achieved over US$63.5m in turnover and a pre-tax profit of US$11.5m.

CEO of Heidelberg Materials UK, Simon Willis, said “This announcement follows the completion of our acquisition of Mick George and adds an additional source of high-quality recycled materials for use in our sustainable building materials. It is an exciting opportunity for us, and I am looking forward to working with the B&A Group to grow the business further.”

Spain: Molins has launched a new corporate identity, consolidating its commercial brands—Cementos Molins Industrial, Promsa, Propamsa, Pretersa-Prenavisa and Precon—into the single Molins brand. This move represents a broad array of construction products and solutions under one unified identity. In line with this, Molins also introduces Susterra, a new range of sustainable solutions.

CEO Julio Rodríguez said "Cement is the foundation of this company, accounting for 60% of our current business. However, today we are a company that offers a wide range of construction solutions, and our long-term strategy is to continue growing in all types of construction solutions to provide increasingly better service to our customers."

US: Holcim’s Hagerstown plant in Maryland has increased its alternative fuels substitution rate to 45%, equivalent to 58,000t/yr of engineered fuel. This US$11m initiative utilises end-of-life materials like non-recyclable paper, plastics and fibres, sourced from commercial and industrial materials like packaging. Geocycle, a subsidiary of Holcim US, will process these materials at its new Cumberland facility, which has a capacity of up to 75,000t/yr.

Senior vice president of Manufacturing North for Holcim US, Michael Nixon, said "Expanding our alternative thermal energy use to 45% provides multiple environmental and economic benefits, from lowering the net carbon intensity of our cement to reducing our consumption of traditional fuels. Importantly, it enables us to play a role in the circular economy, offering a highly safe and ecological solution for unused materials."

US: Cemex has entered an off-site renewable energy agreement for its Clinchfield Cement Plant with Georgia Power, securing about 25% of its power from solar facilities throughout the state, starting in 2025. The plant will offset roughly 10,000t/yr of indirect CO₂ emissions, contributing to a 58% reduction target in Scope 2 GHG emissions from its 2020 levels by 2030.

Senior Vice President of Cemex US Ernesto Felix said "Embracing solar power not only accelerates our own aggressive sustainability goals but also sets a powerful example for the entire industry. By integrating renewable energy solutions through Georgia Power, Cemex paves the way for a greener, more resilient future for generations to come."

Sweden: Peab has entered a product delivery agreement with Stockholm-based start-up CemVision, starting from 14 May 2024. CemVision has developed a cement that reportedly reduces CO₂ emissions by over 95% compared to traditional cement, by replacing limestone and fossil fuels with refined industrial waste and renewable energy. Over the next few years, Peab will use CemVision's ultra-low carbon cement for various projects, including infrastructure, water treatment, foundation work and prefabricated concrete.

Oscar Hållén, CEO of CemVision, said “We are thrilled to be able to deliver our product to Peab. We see that green cement has become crucial for entire industries to be able to meet their climate commitments. The demand is already enormous and all forecasts indicate that it will only increase.”

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement is allocating US$8m, 20% of its planned US$40m investment in 2024, to increase sustainability efforts at its Rockfort plant. The company is aiming to become net-zero by increasing its use of alternative fuels and repurposing materials like tyres, which will also help to save on operational expenses and fuel costs, according to the company.

The repurposing of tyres, which commenced following a Government of Jamaica partnership, will remove a ‘significant’ portion of the estimated 1.5m tyres at the country’s Riverton dump, along with other materials such as pallets, which Caribbean Cement now uses as alternative fuel sources in the cement manufacturing process. With the help of its XRC3000c shredder obtained from Austria-based company UNTHA, Caribbean Cement said it has shredded more than 9000 tyres to date.

Managing director Jorge Martínez said “At the moment our first goal for the end of 2024 is to at least reach 10% alternative fuels. We will remove some of those fuels that are not renewable, substituting it with ones that are. This is part of our future in action programme. Some of these actions are also related to the reuse of some materials in the plant as we take waste materials from other industries and beach clean-ups for repurposing. We try to reuse them in any way we can.”

US: Cemex, in collaboration with the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) and supported by the Bezos Earth Fund, is undertaking an analysis of decarbonisation strategies at its Balcones cement plant in Texas, US. This initiative is part of Cemex's broader goal to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. The analysis will explore various technological pathways including the use of alternative fuels, incorporation of lower-carbon materials, carbon capture and storage and the utilisation of captured carbon for producing synthetic fuels, chemicals, or construction materials. The partnership focuses on innovations such as substituting traditional fossil fuels with waste, renewable gas, biomass, hydrogen and electrification in the cement production process.

CEO of Cemex, Fernando González said “Our collaboration with the Mission Possible Partnership represents a joint effort seeking to accelerate our sustainable commitments and comprehensively evaluate the extent to which we can utilise decarbonisation levers within a specific plant ecosystem. This involves leveraging scalable technologies that would contribute to achieving our ambitious decarbonisation goals on the path to becoming a net-zero company by 2050.”

UK: C-Capture has initiated a carbon capture trial at Heidelberg Materials’ Ketton cement works in Rutland, as part of its national 'XLR8 CCS' project aimed at accelerating low-cost carbon capture solutions in industries like cement and glass. The trial utilises C-Capture’s technology, which employs a solvent to selectively capture CO₂ from emissions. According to the company, this process does not rely on the use of amines, therefore requiring 40% less energy than conventional methods and reduces costs. The carbon capture solvent compatibility unit designed by C-Capture and partner Wood will test the effectiveness of this technology in removing CO₂ from flue gas emissions produced during the cement manufacturing process.

XLR8 CCS is funded with €2m from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s €1.2bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. The funding is part of the €23m Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 programme aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation CCUS technology in the UK. Additional private sector contributions support a €3.1m total.

C-Capture CEO Tom White said "Decarbonising industry is one of the most pressing global issues. C-Capture’s XLR8 CCS project is a critical step in the race to net zero as we work with our innovative technology and leading industry partners to demonstrate that an affordable carbon capture solution is a reality – even for industries that are difficult to decarbonise. We are incredibly proud to be working with our project partners which have strong commitments to decarbonisation and are early adopters of novel carbon capture technology."

Simon Willis, CEO of Heidelberg Materials UK said “Carbon capture is a critical part of our strategy to decarbonise cement production and essential if we are to reach net zero and help our customers achieve their own decarbonisation goals. Our venture with C-Capture is another example of our commitment to developing new technologies and, if successful, has the potential to be rolled out at other sites across the Heidelberg Materials Group.”

Spain: The Spanish cement manufacturers' association, Oficemen, and Siemens Energy have signed a two-year collaboration agreement to develop decarbonisation techniques and solutions for Spain's cement industry. The agreement was signed by Siemens Energy's Industrial Sales Director for Southwest Europe, Angel Cillerruelo, and Oficemen's General Director, Aniceto Zaragoza.

Zaragoza said "The Spanish cement industry's commitment to climate neutrality by 2050, outlined in our roadmap, includes exploring the most effective levers for emission reduction, such as the decarbonisation of energy sources or the comprehensive energy management of industrial processes."