Europe: Cemvision and Mannok, part of Çimsa Group, have signed a memorandum of understanding to deploy ‘near-zero CO₂’ cement technologies. The partnership will focus on commercial rollout of Cemvision’s Re-ment Massive product and aims to establish a multi-year offtake agreement to support industrial scale-up. The partnership will also allow for expansion into the new markets of Italy, Spain and Türkiye, through the companies’ European and Mediterranean distribution network.

Oscar Hållén, CEO of Cemvision, said “Together, we are creating the conditions required to scale Re-ment Massive into multiple geographies. This partnership is about moving from innovation to industrial impact.”

Iraq/Syria: Iraq has begun to export cement to Syria through the al-Waleed border crossing on a trial basis, according to Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, with shipments entering gradually to test procedures and ensure smooth operations at border crossings. It said that shipment volumes are expected to increase progressively based on evaluations during the initial operational phase. Cement is also beginning to arrive at the al-Yarubiyah-Rabia crossing, as part of a plan to distribute trade flows across multiple crossings.

The Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals said in mid-2025 that it is developing a plan to set up new cement plants with a production capacity of 52Mt/yr, reportedly to meet growing demand and support ongoing construction projects in Iraq.

Russia: Cement consumption in Russia could fall by up to 26% in 2026, according to Soyuzcement. The organisation said that consumption declined by 24% year-on-year to 8.30Mt in the first quarter of 2026, while consumption in March 2026 fell by 20% year-on-year despite a seasonal rise of 53% month-on-month.

Soyuzcement said that it expected a slowdown in the construction industry in the medium term. It said that a decrease in cement consumption in Russia of at least 20% was expected in 2026, with pessimistic forecasts of up to 26%.

Ireland: CRH reported sales of US$7.4bn in the first quarter of 2026, up by 9% year-on-year, driven by positive demand and contributions from acquisitions. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 18% year-on-year to US$600m. The company recorded a net loss of US$200m, compared to a net loss of US$100m in the first quarter of 2025, attributed to higher depreciation and increased expenses.

The Americas Materials Solutions division saw sales increase by 21% year-on-year and adjusted EBITDA up by 75%. Cement volumes were 10% ahead of the prior year. The Americas Building Solutions reported total revenues 1% behind the first quarter of 2025, driven by subdued residential demand and adverse weather conditions, and International Solutions reported revenues 5% higher than the first quarter of 2025 and EBITDA growth of 32%.

CRH said “We are reaffirming our financial guidance reflecting a strong start to the year as well as the net impact of divestitures and acquisitions agreed in the year to date. We continue to expect favourable underlying demand across our key-markets, underpinned by significant public investment in infrastructure and continued reindustrialisation activity.” Its 2026 outlook targets net income of US$3.9bn-US$4.1bn and adjusted EBITDA of US$8.1bn-US$8.5bn.