17 August 2021

Uzbekistan: The Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade (MIFT) says that an unnamed Singapore-based company is considering building an integrated cement plant in the country. The Uzbekistan National News Agency reports that investors from Singapore attended a meeting with Aziz Voitov, the First Deputy Minister of MIFT, and Adham Ikramov, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Uzbekistan: Cement production grew by 23% year-on-year to 5.8Mt in the first half of 2021. Data from the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan shows that production increased fastest in the second quarter. It was previously reported that the country imported 1Mt of cement in the first four months of the year. 48% came from Kazakhstan, 27% from the Kyrgyzstan, 23% from Tajikistan and 1% from both Iran and Turkmenistan.

Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement’s sales rose by 22% year-on-year to US$216m in the financial year to 30 June 2021 from US$177m in the same period in 2020. It reported a profit after tax of US$23.2m compared to a loss of US$21.6m previously.

Russia: Cemix, a subsidiary of the Austrian firm Lasselsberger, has launched its new 0.24Mt white cement plant at Bashkiria, near Magnitogorsk in Chelyabinsk Oblast. President Vladimir Putin attended the ceremony. The building materials producer plans to distribute its products nationally from terminals at Lukhovitsy in Moscow Oblast and Afipsky in Krasnodar Krai. The company is a subsidiary of Austria-based Lasselsberger.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland says it has joined Madaster, an online registry for materials and products. Under the scheme, buildings are registered, including the materials and products that were used in their construction. This is intended to make the reuse or recycling of the materials easier, to encourage ‘smart’ design and to eliminate waste. Thorsten Hahn, the chief executive officer of Holcim Deutschland said “The use of alternative raw materials and the closing of product cycles are among the greatest challenges in the construction industry. We owe it to future generations to use the resources that are available to us responsibly and sensibly.”

Colombia: Argos North America has taken out a US$300m loan where the interest rate is linked to CO₂ emission reduction indicators and the increase in the percentage of women in leadership positions. It will be used to prepay an existing syndicated loan. The loan has been taken out from BNP Paribas Securities, Natixis, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the Bank of Nova Scotia. This loan is the first linked to environmental, social and corporate governance performance that Argos has signed with international banks.