August 2025

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka’s Cement’s consolidated sales were US$1.68bn in the nine-month period which ended on 31 December 2020, down by 3% year-on-year from US$1.74m in the corresponding period of its 2020 financial year. Its net profit rose by 5% to US$77.9m from US$73.8m. In December 2020 the company launched its ‘2020 - 2022 Medium-Term Management Plan’ to enable it to meet carbon neutrality by 2050.

India: JK Cement’s consolidated revenue from operations in the first three quarters of its 2021 financial year rose by 5% year-on-year to US$614m from US$584m. Its consolidated profit after tax rose by 52% to US$67.1m from US$44.3m, while standalone earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 29% to US$147m from US$115m. Its sales volumes of cement grew by 9% to 7.75Mt from 7.12Mt.

The group reported that it had two projects on-going in the period with a combined cost of US$267m at 31 December 2020. These were the installation of an overland belt conveyor for limestone at a 4.2Mt/yr cement plant expansion and the upgrade of Line 3 of its Nimbahera cement plant in Rajasthan.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has completed a review of its business and identified five assets to sell. Reuters has reported that the company plans to sell the first of the five assets in early - mid-2021. Chairman Dominik von Achten said that the group would not exit ‘rock-solid’ markets like Northern Europe. He added that Indonesia, where it holds a 51% stake in Indocement, is an ‘important market.’

Von Achten said that the group has made a strong start to 2021, though ‘visibility on future prospects’ remains low. Its focus is on raising the productivity of underperforming assets or selling them. He added that a margin improvement plan in its underperforming North American region is on track.

US: The US Department of Energy has awarded a grant to Cemex USA, UK-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) specialist Carbon Clean and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The grant covers the implementation of a CCS system at Cemex USA’s Victorville cement plant in California, in addition to the development of a commercially viable carbon utilisation solution. The producer says that the study is due to last 30 months.

President Jaime Muguiro said, “Cemex is committed to being part of the solution to reduce carbon emissions globally and to deliver net-zero CO₂ concrete to all of our customers by 2050. We cannot achieve these aims without innovative technology and collaborative relationships with both public and private organizations who share a commitment to climate action. This grant gives us an excellent opportunity to further develop a new technology to help us all reach our goals.”

Colombia: Switzerland-based finance company RobecoSAM has listed Cementos Argos in the Silver Class in its Sustainability Yearbook 2021. It chose the producer from among over 7000 companies from 61 industries on the basis of its Dow Jones Sustainability Index score.

Cementos Argos Legal and Sustainability vice president María Isabel Echeverri said, “Being included for the eighth consecutive year in the RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook encourages us to maintain our high sustainability standards and allows us to continue improving every day so that we can continue contributing to the development and growth of our clients and to the well-being of millions of people in all the territories in which we are present. This recognition is the result of the work of a team committed and convinced of the importance of creating value for society and for the company.”

Belgium: The European cement association Cembureau has called for the European Union (EU) to continue to permit the free allocation of carbon credits under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) until it completes the roll-out of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM) in 2030 at the earliest. It said that this would provide indirect cost compensation and mitigate the risk of the relocation of industries. It would additionally incentivise emissions reduction by EU suppliers, ensure a smooth implementation of CBAM in the event of challenge to CBAM by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and mitigate distortions on the EU internal market, according to the association. It gave the example of cement producers competing with other building materials producers as a way in which an overlap period can limit the disruptive impact of CBAM on European value chains.

Chief executive officer Koen Coppenholle said, “A pragmatic approach is needed regarding the interaction of CBAM with the existing carbon leakage measures. A full co-existence of CBAM and free allocation is essential to minimise risks for the industry, avoid distortions on the internal market, safeguard the competitiveness of exports and provide certainty for investors. Such full co-existence, which can be done without any risk of ‘double protection,’ should last at least until the end of Phase IV of the EU ETS in 2030, following which the CBAM will hopefully be mature and expanded to cover most sectors of the economy.” He added, “CBAM is a useful tool to address the imports of products not subject to similar carbon constraints in the EU and therewith mitigates the carbon leakage risk allowing the European cement industry to deliver low-carbon investments. The Environment Committee’s report highlights some key points in this respect, notably that a CBAM should result in EU and non-EU suppliers competing on the same CO₂ costs basis, that the scope of CBAM should be wide to avoid market distortions and that both direct and indirect emissions should be included.”

France: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France plans to stop cement production at its integrated Contes cement plant in Alpes-Maritimes department and convert the site into a terminal instead. France Bleu radio has reported that the company has announced the loss of 65 jobs. The company promised to take measures to avoid forced redundancies, including offering positions at other Lafarge France sites and help with retraining. The union representing workers at the plant says that the total number of jobs at risk is 300. The producer said that its Bouc-Bel-Air (La Malle) integrated cement plant in Bouches-du-Rhône department near Marseille will provide jobs for truck drivers and subcontractors. It said, “This will require additional industrial maintenance and increase logistics needs. These jobs are not threatened, they should even develop."

Six workers will stay on at the Contes facility after the end of cement production.

India: Ambuja Cements subsidiary ACC has held the groundbreaking ceremony for its upcoming 2.7Mt Ametha integrated cement plant near Kymore, Madhya Pradesh. The company says that the plant will be equipped with an additional 1Mt/yr grinding unit and a 15MW waste heat recovery (WHR) plant. It estimated that the new plant will generate over 5000 indirect jobs. The producer currently operates 3.6Mt/yr of clinker production and 2.7Mt/yr of grinding capacity in the state.

LafargeHolcim India chief executive officer and Ambuja Cements managing director and chief executive officer Neeraj Akhoury said, “Our Business Excellence Journey has been successful on account of the continuous support and guidance rendered to us by the State Government. It is a great privilege and honour for us to be one of the pioneers in the industrialisation journey of Madhya Pradesh. The new project will further strengthen our partnership and propel the growth of the State.”

India: State-owned Visakhapatnam Steel Plant may use available land at its steel plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh to establish a slag cement plant. The Hindu newspaper has reported that the Indian Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has decided to privatise the public sector unit. The state government opposes the decision and has proposed a merger with the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) instead. This would integrate Visakhapatnam Steel Plant within the management chain of other resources used in cement production.

Colombia: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Holcim Colombia has launched Eco, a cement bag label detailing products’ CO₂ emissions reduction by comparison to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), on its Boyacá Súper Fuerte and Holcim Maestro cements. The La República newspaper has reported that the labels signal the company’s commitment to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C anti-climate change initiative.

Executive president Marco Maccarelli said that the launch is one more step on company’s path towards Net Zero and sustainable construction, engaging the entire value chain.