Germany: Ratings agency EcoVadis has awarded drives supplier Flender its Platinum medal for its performance across environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement metrics.

CEO Andreas Evertz said "With our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, we have already achieved significant milestones. This excellent rating confirms our very good progress in the right direction. We are pleased with this but are also aware that there is still a long way to go. We aim to be pioneers in sustainability and inspire others - with full dedication and alongside our strong partners.”

India: Ratna Cements has inaugurated its Mudhol cement plant in Karnataka after competing modernisation work. Following its previous upgrade in 2016, the plant had an integrated capacity of 365,000t/yr and an additional grinding capacity of 73,000t/yr. The Hindu newspaper has reported that parent company MRN Group marked the occasion of the latest inauguration with an announcement that it plans to build a new 1Mt/yr cement plant adjacent to the existing one in Mudhol.

MRN Group chair Murugesh Nirani noted importance of the group’s work to create jobs for Karnataka.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland has announced for the ‘most extensive’ modernisation of its Beckum cement plant to date. Local press has reported that the modernisation will commence with the installation of a Euro20m pendulum cooler to replace the plant’s existing tube cooler. The new cooler will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions and make separated CO₂ better suited for capture, according to the producer. The Beckum cement plant is the site of an on-going carbon capture trial.

General manager Jan Kristof Peters said “We want to implement all construction work as quickly as possible and with as little noise pollution as possible for the neighbourhood. As in previous years, we ask for our neighbourhood’s understanding.”

India: Ambuja Cements has signed new memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the government of Tamil Nadu for the construction of three grinding plants in the state. Business Today Online News has reported that the plants are part of US$5.14bn in planned capital expenditure (CAPEX) investments in Tamil Nadu by parent company Adani Group.

Karan Adani, CEO of the group’s shipping subsidiary Adani Ports, said "Today's Tamil Nadu is a standout example of stability, a well-established industrial ecosystem, advanced infrastructure, total connectivity, safe and secure neighbourhoods, business-friendly policies with an able and efficient team of officers and a diverse and highly-skilled workforce with more women in the ranks than anywhere else in the country."

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has announced the signing of its latest partnership agreement, with single-family home construction firm Groupe Trecobat. Under the agreement, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies will supply its clinker-free alternative cement for Groupe Trecobat’s property developments throughout western France. Groupe Trecobat generated Euro203m in sales in 2023.

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "We are delighted to be working with a leading player in single-family home construction such as Groupe Trecobat. This local partnership, which will enable us to develop a low-carbon offering for single-family home construction, accelerates our diversification and further strengthens our presence in the eco-responsible construction market."

India: The Saffron Growers Association (SGA) has said that cement plants in Kashmir are causing dust pollution, to which the association attributed the decline of the local saffron industry. Down to Earth News has reported that the SGA alleges that the state’s traditional crop has ceased to be profitable because of extra costs arising from the fall of dust during flowering season. The association added that pollutants such as nitrous oxides (NO_x) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) can also affect saffron’s growth.

The SGA called on authorities to regulate the construction of cement plants and their emissions more closely.

India: Adani Group subsidiary ACC has completed its acquisition of the outstanding 55% stake in Asian Concrete and Cements for US$93.2m. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that ACC expects the acquisition to strengthen its market position in North India.

Asian Concrete and Cements owns the 1.3Mt/yr Nalagarh cement plant in Himachal Pradesh and the 1.5Mt/yr Rajpura cement plant in Punjab. The assets raise the installed capacity of ACC to 38.6Mt/yr and that of Adani Group to 77.4Mt/yr. It plans to reach 106Mt/yr in the 2026 financial year, and 140Mt/yr in the 2028 financial year.

Saudi Arabia: Sinoma CDI says that it has won a contract with Eastern Province Cement for the construction of a new 10,000t/day line at the producer’s 3.5Mt/yr Al Khursaniyah cement plant. The new line will more than double the plant’s capacity to 7.15Mt/yr and cost US$271m, according to Mist News.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Hungary-based Talentis International Construction completed its acquisition of Lukavac Cement at the end of December 2023. SeeNews has reported that the conglomerate first signed a letter of intent with Lukavac Cement’s former owner, Austria-based Asamer Baustoffe, in mid-2023.

The acquisition adds Lukavac Cement’s 650,000t/yr Lukavac cement plant and Vijenac limestone mine to Talentis International Construction’s existing Southeast European assets, situated in Croatia and Romania.

India: UltraTech Cement has deployed five electric clinker trucks at its Dhar cement plant in Madhya Pradesh. Asian News International has reported that the trucks will convey clinker to the producer’s Dhule grinding plant in Maharashtra. The company expects the trucks to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 680t/yr.

UltraTech Cement is committed to electrifying 500 vehicles across its operations by the end of June 2025.