Canada: Amrize broke ground on the modernisation of its cement plant in Saint Constant, Quebec, on Friday 19 June 2026. It said that the modernisation was the largest investment in the Canadian cement industry over the last decade, and will introduce ‘state-of-the-art’ operational efficiency and enhanced sustainability. The upgrade will reportedly improve the plant’s net carbon footprint by over 40% by 2035, offering the lowest CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement in Eastern Canada. It will also expand the plant’s production capacity by 0.3Mt/yr to a total of 1.2Mt/yr, and grow the plant’s workforce by 25%.

Afghanistan: Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a 30-year contract with a ‘private company’ for the Aybak Cement project in Feroz Nakhchir district, Samangan province. A 1200t/day cement plant will be built, worth US$67m, which is expected to create jobs for nearly 600 people, according to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.

Economic analyst Abdul Zohour Madabar said "We have both renewable and non-renewable resources, so we must use our resources wisely. When extracting minerals, it should be done responsibly and not excessively, because future generations will also need them."

India: Adani Group subsidiary Ambuja Cements has partnered with UK-based decarbonisation company Leilac to develop a commercial-scale pathway for low-carbon cement production, according to a statement by the company. The company is increasing the utilisation of renewable energy, as part of its efforts to decarbonise cement manufacturing, supported by nearly 1GW of captive green power capacity. The pilot project will be implemented at Ambuja Cements’ 6.6Mt/yr Sanghi plant in Kutch, Gujarat, where Leilac’s carbon capture and hybrid electrification technology will be tested.

“The technology is designed to enable a pathway where coal consumption can be reduced to zero, while allowing alternative fuels to be used flexibly,” said Ambuja Cements.

If successful, the project could be expanded seven- or eight-fold, enabling the capture of more than 1Mt/yr of carbon dioxide. The company said the facility would be the world’s largest industrial-scale project of its kind and could provide a scalable model for low-carbon cement production in India and other markets.

Karan Adani, director of Ambuja Cements, said “The cement industry’s transition to a lower-carbon future will require bold thinking, technological innovation and collaboration across the value chain. Our partnership with Leilac reflects our commitment to evaluating next-generation technologies that can reduce process emissions while improving energy efficiency and supporting long-term sustainable growth. This initiative aligns with our vision of building world-class manufacturing operations for the future.”

UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has held its Building the Sustainable Future: Pathways to Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete conference at County Hall, London, as part of London Climate Action Week on 22 June 2026.

Canada's deputy high commissioner to the UK, Robert Fry, opened proceedings with a call to new partners to join the Cement and Concrete Breakthrough coalition. The coalition is currently engaged in 11 key initiatives across 14 member countries, including upcoming UN Conference of the Parties (COP) Presidents Ethiopia and Türkiye.

Next, Cement Association of Canada president Adam Auer presented his government's strategy of decarbonisation as 'fundamentally modernisation and productivity,' and underlined the need to get policy conditions right for investment to continue to drive demand.

Panel discussions addressed scaling demand, driving the transition in developing countries and financing commercial implementation. Identified barriers included the absence of strong government policy signals, required operational adjustments and user-related difficulties for alternative cements in the bagged cement segment. Against this backdrop, panellists cited success stories ranging from a new Indian mandate for 100% fly ash utilisation and a successful collaboration of Ghanaian standards bodies with calcined clay producer CBI Ghana.

At the conclusion of proceedings, the GCCA launched its Innovandi Open Challenge 2026 accelerator for AI projects for cement and concrete manufacturing. Applicants have until 20 August 2026 to submit their application here.