Germany: Berlin-based AI startup Alcemy, in partnership with German cement producer Spenner, has produced a commercially viable low-carbon cement alternative named ‘CEM X’. This product reportedly reduces carbon emissions by 65% and has less than 30% clinker content, according to the company. The composition incorporates a blend of 33% granulated blast furnace slag and 37% limestone.

Alcemy CEO Leopold Spenner said "With 'CEM X,' we have reached a significant milestone on our journey to decarbonising the cement industry.”

Pakistan: Cement dispatches in May 2024 reached a nine-month high at 4.3Mt, marking an 8% rise year-on-year and a 45% month-on-month increase from April 2024, driven largely by a surge in exports. Over the first 11 months of the 2024 financial year, total dispatches amounted to 41.7Mt, up 3% from 2023 with exports growing by 66%, according to Pakistan Press International. However, domestic dispatches fell by 4%.

Spain: Domestic cement consumption in Catalonia fell by 8.5% year-on-year in the year to May 2024, reaching 2.1Mt, while production decreased by 6.6% to 3.14Mt. Exports also declined by 18% to 1.6Mt during this period.

According to Ciment Català, the statistics confirm the ‘sluggishness’ of the domestic market and the difficulties Catalan companies face in competing in other regions and countries. It warned that the situation could become worse due to the general economic situation in the region. Salvador Fernández Capo, president of Ciment Català, said that investment in infrastructure was likely to be further delayed.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials, in partnership with Linde, is constructing a large-scale carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) facility at its Lengfurt cement plant, set to start operating in 2025. According to the company, it will be the first of its kind. The project is named Capture-to-Use (CAP2U) and will capture 70,000t/yr of CO₂.

Christian Knell, general manager of Heidelberg Materials Germany, said "With the amine scrubbing technology applied here in Lengfurt, we are demonstrating the capture and utilisation of CO₂ on an industrial scale for the first time in the cement industry in Germany.”