Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW722 / 13 August 2025

Headlines


Ecocem announced this week that it has achieved certification in the US for its ACT low-carbon cement technology. This follows CRH’s agreement to buy US-based Eco Material Technologies, a supplier of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), which was revealed in late July 2025. These moves and others mark a flurry of activity by various companies in the US SCM sector in recent months.

Donal O’Riain, the founder and managing director of Ireland-based Ecocem, underlined the importance of certification in North America when he said that “The US is one of the largest cement markets in the world, and this certification will support integration into existing supply chains and offers a pathway for the sector to rapidly decarbonise.” The country imported just under a fifth, 19Mt, of its Portland and blended cement in 2024 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Ecocem started out as a manufacturer of cements made using ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), a SCM, in the early 2000s. Its ACT technology was formally announced in 2022. It is described as a process that can make cements using “available fillers like limestone and local SCMs.” It is currently scheduled for a commercial launch in 2026, starting in France. In the US it is planning to build a terminal and mill at the Port of Los Angeles in California. This follows a previous attempt to build a slag grinding plant, also in California, in the 2010s.

CRH, another cement company with strong links to Ireland incidentally, said on 29 July 2025 that it had agreed to acquire Eco Material for US$2.1bn. The latter operates a network of fly ash, pozzolan, synthetic gypsum and green cement operations. It partners with electricity generators to process about 7Mt/yr of fly ash and 3Mt/yr of synthetic gypsum and other materials. As CRH’s CEO Jim Mintern put it, “this transaction secures the long-term supply of critical materials for future growth and puts CRH at the forefront of the transition to next generation cement and concrete.” The deal is expected to close by the end of 2025. In separate comments to analysts Mintern added that he expects the market for SCMs to double in the US by 2050.

Other players have also been busy in recent months. Amrize, for example, noted in its financial results for the second quarter of 2025 that it had broken ground on a new fly ash beneficiation facility in Virginia in the reporting period. Last week, Graymont and Fortera signed an agreement to produce Fortera’s ReAct low-carbon cement product by using Graymont’s existing lime production operations. Fortera runs a plant in Redding, California that takes captured CO2 from the adjacent CalPortland cement plant and uses it to manufacture its own proprietary SCM. Back in April 2025 Buzzi Unicem said that it had partnered with Queens Carbon to produce a novel cement and SCM. The start-up was intending to build a 2000t/yr demonstration plant at Buzzi Unicem’s cement plant in Stockertown, Pennsylvania.

The backdrop to all of this attention on SCMs in the US are the cost of cement and sustainability. Using more SCMs reduces clinker usage in cement and it can reduce the cost. At the same time reducing the amount of clinker used decreases the amount of CO2 emissions. So, for example, Ecocem says that its ACT technology can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 70% compared to conventional cement.

A report by Mckinsey on SCMs in the autumn of 2024 reckoned that growth in the cement market in North America was expected to be ‘robust’ in the next 15 years to 2050. However, the sector faces material, particularly clinker, and labour shortages. Enter SCMs! It went on to assert that much of the available stocks of GGBS and fly ash in the country are effectively used. Yet, traditional industrial SCMs such as GGBS, fly ash and limestone are anticipated to be available for longer than in Europe as industries such as steel manufacture and electricity generation will take longer to decarbonise. Hence companies such as Ecocem are preparing to import them, ones like CRH are cornering existing stocks and others such as Fortera and Queens Carbon are working on creating their own ‘virgin’ sources. At the same time the American Cement Association has been promoting the use of Portland Limestone Cement in the country.

All this helps to explain the interest in SCMs in the US right now. It’s a busy moment.


China: Anhui Conch Cement has appointed Yu Shui as its General Manager. The position is analogous to a CEO at the company. He succeeds Li Qunfeng in the post.

Yu Shui, aged 48 years, has been working most recently as Secretary to the Board, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Anhui Conch Cement. He is also currently the chair of subsidiary Wuhu Conch Trading and holds directorship with a number of other associated companies. He joined the group in 1997. Notable positions include Director of the Sales Department, General Manager of Conch Cement in South Kalimantan, Indonesia and Deputy General Manager. He is a graduate of Anhui University.


Brazil: Cemento Apodi has appointed Liciani Morais as its Finance Director. She holds over 20 years of corporate financial experience working for companies including DelRio, Grupo Iquine and Mob Telecom, according to the Diário do Nordeste newspaper. She is a graduate in financial management from the Universidade Estácio and holds a master of business administration (MBA) qualification from Fundação Getulio Vargas.


US: Ecocem has obtained ASTM C1157 certification for its ACT low-CO₂ cement technology, confirming it meets or exceeds strength and durability benchmarks while reducing emissions and energy use. Unlike traditional cement specifications, the standard is performance-based, allowing for innovative formulations.

Founder and group managing director Donal O’Riain said “This is a significant moment for Ecocem and for low-carbon cement globally. Over the past 10 years our solutions have seen significant traction across Europe. The US is one of the largest cement markets in the world, and this certification will support integration into existing supply chains and offers a pathway for the sector to rapidly decarbonise through improved efficiency and without increasing costs or complexity.”

Ecocem is advancing its first North American project, a proposed terminal and milling operation at the Port of Los Angeles, aimed at establishing a reliable low-CO₂ cement supply chain in California. The company says that its low-carbon cement technology, ACT, cuts clinker content by up to 70% by using limestone and locally-sourced supplementary cementitious materials. The announcement follows recent regulatory approvals in France, new investment in production lines in Dunkirk, and partnerships with Bouygues, Vinci and Titan Group.


US: Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) producer Eco Material Technologies has published its 2024 Sustainability Report, detailing the measures it has employed to reduce its environmental impact over the year. The producer said that its SCM displaced 5% of US cement consumption, avoiding 5.5Mt of CO₂ emissions. The company diverted 6.2Mt of ash from landfill and harvested a further 0.5Mt, reducing water use by 7.57bn litres compared to conventional materials. It produced 73,292t of ‘green’ cement, avoiding over 65,000t of CO₂, and aims to double recycled material use to 20Mt by 2030.

Chief executive officer Grant Quasha said “We're proving that domestic fly ash is not only a powerful climate solution, but also a resilient and scalable one. The infrastructure transformation is already underway, and we're proud to be leading it.”

Eco Material Technologies operates 125 sites in 42 states and employs 1100 people.


Peru: National cement despatches rose by 6% year-on-year to 1.1Mt in July 2025 and by 2% over the past 12 months, according to the Asociación de Productores de Cemento (ASOCEM). Cement production grew by 6.5% year-on-year to 0.97Mt, while clinker output fell by 22% year-on-year to 0.69Mt. Cement exports rose by 28% year-on-year to 13,300t, and clinker exports fell by 12% compared to July 2024 to 32,600t. Cement imports dropped by 63% compared to the previous corresponding period to 8000t, while clinker imports grew by 81% to 85,000t.


Brazil: Cement sales rose by 3% year-on-year to 6.1Mt in July 2025, according to the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Sales for the first seven months of 2025 totalled 38.2Mt, up by 4%, driven by demand from the real estate sector and a strong job market.

SNIC reported that 3.25Mt of waste were co-processed in the year to date, avoiding 3.4Mt of CO₂ emissions. It said that the cement industry could be ‘indirectly affected’ by US President Trump’s tariffs. The sector also faces challenges from exchange rate fluctuations, which could increase the cost of cement production.


Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos reported sales of US$1.38bn in the second quarter of 2025, up by 5% year-on-year. Global cement sales reached 9.3Mt, up by 3% year-on-year. Consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 5% year-on-year to US$331m. Net profit grew by 250% to US$331m, supported by improved operations, tax gains and the divestment of Moroccan assets.

In Brazil, sales rose by 8% year-on-year to US$643m, while EBITDA fell by 2% to US$102m compared to the previous corresponding period due to higher variable costs. In North America, sales grew by 3% year-on-year to US$441m, with EBITDA up by 10% to US$134m, aided by acquisitions. In Europe and Asia, sales rose by 3% year-on-year to US$220m, while EBITDA increased by 32% to US$73m on reduced variable costs. In Latin America, sales rose by 20% year-on-year to US$52m and EBITDA by 92% to US$11m.

Global CEO Osvaldo Ayres said “We ended the second quarter with solid results, supported by our business diversification and portfolio balance between developed and emerging markets. In line with our strategic mandate, we continued to make investments in competitiveness, decarbonisation and new businesses, despite an environment that was volatile and required a cautious approach.”

Global chief financial officer Antonio Pelicano said “In this second quarter, we announced the completion of the sale of our Moroccan assets, which, combined with our previously announced divestment in Tunisia, reinforced our strategy of geographic diversification and capital allocation. We continue to have a robust cash position to support the execution of our strategy.”


Russia: Cemros has proposed limiting Belarusian cement imports to 1.5Mt/yr, citing rising import volumes from Belarus, Iran and Kazakhstan, despite a stagnant market. The company said current imports are equal to the annual output of 2-3 cement plants, while underutilised Russian producers are reducing working hours and halting production.

The Cemros press service said “In the short term, a fair solution would be to fix cement import volumes at the levels seen before the introduction of preferential mortgages, namely a ceiling of 1.5Mt/yr of cement products.”

This comes after Cemros announcing on 8 August 2025 the implementation of a four-day working week from 1 October 2025, due to falling demand and increasing imports. On the same day, industry association Soyuzcement proposed introducing five-year anti-dumping measures, noting Belarus accounts for 69% of imports, Iran 20% and Kazakhstan 9%.

Cemros forecasts that 2025 cement consumption could fall by 10–15% year-on-year in 2025 to 57–60.3Mt. In January–June 2025, Russia produced 27.2Mt of cement and consumed 28.4Mt, including 1.83Mt of imports. Soyuzcement predicts that imports could reach up to 5Mt/yr in the medium term, up from 3.74Mt in 2024.


Türkiye: OYAK Cement reported sales of US$574m in the first half of 2025, with earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$140m and a net profit of US$88m.

Vice chair of the board and CIMPOR global chief financial officer Eralp Tunçsoy said “As of the first half of 2025, we have realised an investment expenditure of US$69m. With our investments, we are strengthening our leading position in the cement sector. We plan to reap the rewards of the high-value investments we have recently made in energy efficiency and sustainability in the coming years.”

Tunçsoy said “Despite the ongoing uncertainties in global markets, we are determinedly continuing our efforts to increase our footprint in the global cement market. We are present in all markets outside of our Turkish operations with our CIMPOR brand and are working to open new export channels.”


Pakistan: Fauji Cement posted a record net profit of US$46.8m for the 2025 financial year, up by 62% from US$28.8m in 2024. Annual revenues reached US$314m, an 11% year-on-year increase, supported by a 6% rise in despatch volumes. For the fourth quarter of the 2025 financial year, the company reported earnings of US$17.3m, reflecting a 232% year-on-year rise and an 83% quarter-on-quarter increase.


Jamaica: Caribbean Cement produced a record 93,450t of clinker and 109,682t of cement in July 2025, one month after completing a US$41m plant expansion and efficiency upgrades, according to the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper. The figures surpassed previous records of 89,600t and 103,869t respectively, a combined rise of over 9600t.

Managing director Jorge Martinez said “This is an encouraging achievement for Caribbean Cement and for Jamaica. This increase in clinker and cement production clearly indicates that our investment strategy is working. We are now in a stronger position to meet local demand by reducing our reliance on imports. At the same time, we are better positioned to explore export opportunities.”


Afghanistan: The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced the start of work on five cement plants in Kandahar, Herat, Parwan, Jawzjan and Logar with a total investment of US$750m, according to Ariana News. Some of these facilities are expected to start production later in 2025 or early 2026. Once operational, these plants will enable the country to produce 15,000t/day of cement, raising national output to 5.5Mt/yr and potentially allowing for export to nearby countries. The news outlet reported that currently 90% of the cement available domestically is imported.


Saudi Arabia: Cement sales by the country’s 17 producers rose by 21% year-on-year to 13.1Mt in the second quarter of 2025, according to Al Yamama Cement. Local demand grew by 23% and accounted for 97% of total despatches, while exports fell by 16% to account for 3% of sales.

Al Yamama Cement led the market with 1.93Mt of local sales, followed by Saudi Cement with 1.36Mt, Qassim Cement with 1.14Mt and Yanbu Cement with 1.00Mt. Saudi Cement topped exports with 376,000t sold, ahead of Najran Cement with 50,000t and Eastern Province Cement at 5000t. Cement expert and CEO at consultancy firm A³&Co Amr Nader said “East Africa and Yemen have seen rising local production, such as capacity expansions in Kenya and the reactivation of plants in Ethiopia, alongside aggressive pricing from Turkiye and Iran.”

Clinker production grew by 13% year-on-year to 14.8Mt, with Saudi Cement producing 2.15Mt. Clinker inventories rose by 3% from 2024 to 134Mt by the end of June 2025, led by Southern Province Cement with 20.2Mt. Clinker exports increased by 39% year-on-year to 1.63Mt. Key markets included Bangladesh, Kenya, Benin, Ghana and Yemen.


India: Star Cement reported a standalone net profit of US$2.76m in the first quarter of the 2026 financial year from April - June 2025, compared to a net loss of US$1.50m in the same period in 2024. Sales rose by 13% to US$62.15m from US$54.81m. Operating profit rose by 401% to US$11.44m from US$2.28m previously.


Mexico: Moctezuma inaugurated a US$12m alternative fuels storage system at its Tepetzingo cement plant in Morelos, after two years of engineering, planning and execution. The facility will process over 150,000t/yr of waste, including end-of-life tyres, municipal solid waste and non-recyclable materials, which will replace fossil fuels in cement production, with a goal of 30% substitution by 2030. The company said that the benefits of the project include saving thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill and mitigating methane emissions.

The producer, the Morelos government and the Ministry of Sustainable Development are also developing a circular economy centre in Jiutepec with an additional investment of US$1.6m. The facility will collect, shred and convert up to 3000t/month of tyres into alternative fuels.


India: The first freight train has arrived in Kashmir carrying 1400t of cement from Rupnagar, Punjab, according to the Times of India newspaper. The 21-wagon train covered 600km in under 18 hours, hauled by an electric WAG-9 locomotive. Northern Railways said the arrival demonstrates the capability of the Chenab and Anji bridges and will enable faster bulk movement of supplies to the region. Officials said the service will improve supply chains, decrease transport costs and boost industrial activity to support infrastructure projects.


Europe: Capsol Technologies has signed a contract to deliver a feasibility study evaluating the use of its CapsolEoP® (End-of-Pipe) carbon capture technology at a European lime plant, with the potential to capture several hundred thousand tonnes of CO₂ annually. This marks Capsol’s first project in the lime sector.

Chief business development officer Johan Jungholm said “This is an important milestone in our mission to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors like lime production and represents our first project within this industry. Initial assessments indicate that CapsolEoP® would be particularly suited for carbon capture in lime production due to the energy-efficient design of the technology – featuring low energy consumption and operating without the need for external steam.”

The European Lime Association targets carbon capture from 5–10% of kiln-related emissions by 2030, with full capture by 2050.


US/Canada: Martin Marietta Materials signed a definitive agreement with Quikrete Holdings to exchange its Midlothian cement plant, related terminals and North Texas ready-mixed concrete assets for aggregates operations with a capacity of 20Mt/yr in Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Vancouver, and US$450m in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

Chair and CEO of Martin Marietta Ward Nye said “Following a thorough evaluation, we believe that exchanging our remaining cement plant and related ready-mixed concrete operations for core aggregates assets and pursuing accretive bolt-on acquisitions best positions the company for long-term earnings growth.”


US: Amazon and Brimstone have announced successful third-party test results for Brimstone’s lower-CO₂ ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which meets ASTM C150 requirements using Amazon slab mix designs. The companies will continue testing through 2025 and 2026. On the basis of the successful tests, Amazon has signed a commercial agreement to reserve annual volumes of OPC and supplementary cementitious materials from Brimstone’s upcoming plant in Oakland, California.


Saudi Arabia: Southern Province Cement recorded net profits of US$11.2m in the first half of 2025, down by 59% year-on-year from US$27.7m. Revenues fell by 11% to US$111m from US$124m in the first half of 2024. In the second quarter of 2025, profits dropped by 50% year-on-year to US$4m, while revenues declined by 9% to US$52m. Quarter-on-quarter, profits fell by 44% from US$7.2m and revenues by 11% from US$59m.


Vietnam: The National Statistics Office reported cement production of 105Mt in the first seven months of 2025, up by 15% year-on-year. Output in July 2025 rose by 22% year-on-year to 16.5Mt. Vietnam produced 184Mt of cement in 2024, up by 3.5% on 2023.


US: Amrize has reported financial results for the second quarter of 2025, noting its successful spin-off and listing of Amrize on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and ‘resilient’ results.

Amrize reported sales of US$3.22bn, down from US$3.24bn in the second quarter of 2024. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell to US$947m from US$1bn previously. Net income dropped to US$428m from US$473m.

Building materials sales fell to US$2.25bn from US$2.27bn. Cement volumes fell by 6%. Amrize said it was a “resilient performance in a challenging environment with inclement weather in the quarter.” It said that public sector spending had resulted in steady infrastructure demand during the quarter.

The company will add 0.66Mt/yr of cement capacity and improve manufacturing efficiency by the end of 2025 at the company’s flagship cement plant in Missouri and increase capacity by 0.3Mt/yr at the St. Constant cement plant in Quebec. It also broke ground on a new fly ash beneficiation plant in Virginia to enable the use of recycled ash as a supplementary cementitious material.

Jan Jenisch, chair and CEO, said "We successfully listed Amrize on the NYSE on 23 June 2025 and we now begin our growth journey as Amrize in a position of strength, ready to serve our customers as the partner of choice for the professional builders of North America. In the second quarter, we successfully navigated a challenging environment, generating stable revenue and strong margins showing the resilience and strength of our business and market positions."


Ireland: CRH reported second quarter 2025 sales of US$10.2bn, up by 6% from US$9.7bn in 2024, driven by acquisitions and commercial execution despite slowdowns due to inclement weather. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 9% year-on-year to US$2.5bn. Net income grew by 2% year-on-year to US$1.3bn.

CEO Jim Mintern said “Our strong second quarter performance was driven by favourable underlying demand, disciplined commercial management and further contributions from acquisitions. CRH's proven strategy continued to drive higher sales and profits, while our robust balance sheet and financial capacity enabled us to allocate approximately US$3bn to growth investments and capital returns year-to-date. We completed 19 acquisitions year-to-date and continue to see an active pipeline of opportunities to further strengthen our market-leading positions in attractive growth markets. Underlying demand in our key end-use markets remains positive and we are pleased to raise our guidance for 2025.”


Chile: cbb (formerly Cementos Bío Bío), has announced a binding agreement to sell all of its shares to Belgium-based producer Carmeuse, which will launch a tender offer for 100% of the shares of the company ‘no later than 13 August 2025’, according to Noticias Financieras. Shareholders representing 64.57% of the shares signed the Agreement to Tender, obliging them to transfer their holdings to Carmeuse subsidiary Carmel Holdings. The offer will value the company at US$505m, equivalent to US$1.91/share.

Carmeuse specialises in lime and limestone derivatives and operates 90 production sites worldwide. The acquisition aligns with its interest in cbb’s lime production through subsidiary Bío Bío Cales, which operates plants in Antofagasta and Copiapó.

The announcement of the sale comes after a race for control of the company at the end of 2024. In December 2024, Peru-based Yura acquired 0.81% of shares through a public offer, increasing its stake to 20.75%. Mississippi Lime Company also submitted a non-binding offer for the company for US$1.89/share in May 2024, but later withdrew.


Russia: Cemros will transition to a four-day work week across its plants from 1 October 2025 in response to declining cement consumption and rising imports. The producer said the part-time regime aims to preserve jobs and will retain the ‘full social package’, according to the local Construction Business News Agency. It will reverse the measure if the construction industry improves.

Cemros said the change is a “forced, but balanced measure aimed at long-term preservation of stability and social balance during a period of instability.” The producer previously suspended operations at its Belgorod cement plant due to lower profitability and increased imports.


Ivory Coast: Gebr. Pfeiffer will supply an MVR 3070 R-2 vertical roller mill to Ciments de Côte d'Ivoire (CIMCI) for clay grinding at its cement plant. The mill will produce 62t/hr of clay at ≤10% R 0.090mm for use in calcined clay cement. The order was placed by China-based contractor CBMI, which is managing the engineering, procurement and construction contract and will also supply the suspension calcination plant. The mill is scheduled to begin operation at the end of 2026.