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This week brought the news that, following testing by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), some 27,402t or US$49.8m of Nestlé's Maggi noodles had to be recalled from the market due to allegedly high levels of lead. But what do you do with 27,402t of noodles deemed unsafe for human consumption?

The solution was incineration. Five cement plants will take 40 days, which started on 9 June 2015, to consume all of the noodles as an alternative fuel. "This was the most environment-friendly solution to destroy the recalled noodles," said Luca Fichera, executive vice president of Nestlé's supply chain in India.

India's fuel supply is notoriously unreliable. Coal is the dominant fuel used for cement and power production in India, however, supplies have been inconstant in terms of both quality and quantity for some time now. To shore up the coal supply, the government cancelled, reallocated and auctioned 214 of the 218 coal blocks in India, starting in September 2014. According to local media, Coal India, which still operates most of the blocks, is now expected to increase its coal production capacity by as much as 60Mt in 2015, following 7% production growth in the 2014 - 2015 financial year. However, there is still a major coal shortage in the country and recent reports by India's coal ministry suggest that the new coal linkages will increase coal costs. The new coal linkage process will see sales go via an auction system instead of a static price. Coal costs for cement producers are expected to rise by as much as 25% as a result.

Given India's long-standing fuel supply problems, its cement producers may wish to learn from the use of Nestlé's Maggi noodles as alternative fuels in cement plants. Instead of viewing the coal shortage as a challenge, it might instead be considered an opportunity to increase alternative fuel use, reducing costs and moving to more environmentally-friendly cement production. In addition to the standard industrial, municipal and household waste, among others, India might look to use some of the large quantities of waste biomass that must surely be produced from its agricultural sector. Like the game, 'Hungry, hungry hippos,' India's cement plants could consume a wide variety of nearby wastes in place of coal.

Belgium: Daniel Gauthier, CEO of Western Europe-Africa and member of the managing board of HeidelbergCement, has been elected as president of CEMBUREAU for a two-year term after having completed his mandate of vice president over the last two years. He takes over from Peter Hoddinott, executive vice president of performance and member of the executive committee at Lafarge. In addition, Gonçalo Salazar Leite, CEO of Secil, has been elected as vice president of CEMBUREAU for a two-year term.

"The industry must now build upon the accomplishments of 'The Concrete Initiative," said Gauthier. The initiative was launched one year ago. "Concrete is essential to Europe's future, providing the buildings and infrastructure that society needs, as well as growth and jobs. The circular economy, competitiveness and climate change will also remain at the forefront of CEMBUREAU's activities."

"With the election of Gauthier, CEMBUREAU and the priorities of the european cement sector are in excellent hands," said Hoddinott. "He will advance and reinforce the agendas of putting the cement industry forward as a solution provider, where concrete can fulfill both the aspirations of the end users of construction and act as a partner in fulfilling the needs of policymakers."

"I take this opportunity to thank Peter Hoddinott for his commitment to the Association over the last two years," said Koen Coppenholle, CEMBUREAU chief executive. "We are now at a turning point. After a protracted period of negative growth, Europe is getting back on its feet. Indeed, our 2014 activity report shows some glimmers of hope for our sector."

Compared to 2013, 2014 cement production in the CEMBUREAU member countries saw a very moderate recovery, rising by 0.3% year-on-year to 235.5Mt after the drops recorded in 2013 and 2012 (1.4% and 8.2% respectively) and having fallen by 27% since 2007. Developments in cement demand were in line with the upturn in the general economic and construction environment, particularly over the second half of the year, reflecting somewhat improved sentiment and activity, despite tight budgetary conditions in many member states. Global cement production has been estimated at 4.3Bnt in 2014, translating into a 6.7% increase compared to the 4Bt recorded in 2013. The CEMBUREAU member countries accounted for 5.5% of global production, with China representing 56.5%, compared to 58.3% in 2013. Without taking into account China, global cement production increased year-on-year by 11.3%.