Global Cement News

UK: Material Evolution has partnered with CRH subsidiary Tarmac to launch a pilot project to test applications of its heat-free, 85% reduced-CO₂ cement, MevoCem. The partners aim to demonstrate the suitability of MevoCem cement for use in concrete production in line with the prospective BSI Flex 350 performance-based standard.

Material Evolution’s CEO Liz Gilligan welcomed Tarmac as an ‘early adopter’ of MevoCem cement. In a post to LinkedIn, she said “We have been quietly building something game-changing with CRH and their team at Tarmac. It is bold, it is industrial scale and it is all about cutting carbon where it counts. We are only just getting started.”

Material Evolution currently operates a 120,000t/yr Mevocem plant in Wrexham, Wales.

China: National cement production fell by 4% year-on-year to 815Mt in the first half of 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Output in June 2025 declined by 5% year-on-year to 155Mt. Production for the first half of 2024 stood at 850Mt, indicating a volume decrease of 35Mt. Looking forward to the third quarter of 2025, the industry expects that the cement market will continue to operate weakly, with sluggish demand ad low prices across the country.

India: Shree Cement has commissioned a 6MW solar power plant at its Roorkee unit in Uttarakhand, located next to its existing cement operations. This raises total solar capacity at the site to 7MW. The project cost US$1.8m, and brings the company’s total solar footprint to 294MW. It is expected to offset 6500t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

Mexico: Holcim has placed Mexico at the centre of its NextGen Growth 2030 strategy to ‘drive profitable expansion’ in Europe, Australia, North Africa and Latin America following the spin-off of its North American business. Mexico now plays a strategic role in scaling sustainable construction solutions across the region and will allow Holcim to respond to key global trends such as urbanisation, housing shortages, resilient infrastructure and environmental sustainability.

Holcim Mexico CEO Christian Dedeu said “Mexico is now a strategic market where we will scale innovative solutions for circular and low-carbon construction. Our goal is to triple the recycling of demolition materials, double the Disensa store network and expand our sustainable offering through ECOPact and ECOPlanet.”

Dedeu added “In a region facing major social and environmental challenges, Mexico and Latin America have the potential to lead a new era of sustainable construction. At Holcim, we are committed to scaling solutions that address the climate emergency while building progress for people and the planet.”

Indonesia: The government has called on cement producers to expand exports and develop sustainable products to counter oversupply, according to Antara news. This comes after a visit by the Director General at the Ministry of Industry, Taufiek Bawazier, to the Solusi Bangun Indonesia cement plant in Bogo, West Java. Bawazier said that national cement production capacity currently stands at 122Mt/yr, while demand is only around 70Mt/yr, resulting in low utilisation and inefficiency.

Bawazier said “This is a serious challenge for the industry. If left unresolved, it could lead to unhealthy business competition. Strengthening the domestic component level policy is also a priority. Currently, local cement products have achieved a 60–70% domestic content level.”

He added that production capacity could be controlled by imposing a moratorium on new cement industry permits in regions where the market is already saturated. Several cement producers, such as Semen Indonesia, already export to Australia and even the US.