Croatia: The opposition Most party is opposing the Croatian government's plan to burn some of the waste from an illegal dump at Gospić in Nexe’s cement plant in Našice. Speaking at a news conference outside the Nexe company's cement plant in Našice, Most MP Marin Miletić said that the government planned to burn 650t of waste in Slavonia and Istria that it classified as ‘non-hazardous.’ He questioned this classification, stating that the waste had been brought into Croatia illegally.

"Slavonians must not remain silent,” said Miletić. “Slavonians did not produce this waste and there is no justification for them to bear the consequences of the actions of the Italian and Croatian waste mafias and the political decisions that enabled them.”

US: The US government has removed tariffs upon cement imported from Canada. The announcement was made in a series of Presidential Proclamations released on 8 September 2026 and which took effect on 15 September 2026. A 50% tariff on a wide range of goods from Canada, including cement, was imposed in July 2026 with enactment from mid-August 2026.

Cement producers and consumers in the US had reportedly warned that the country does not produce enough cement for domestic demand, according to the Financial Post newspaper. National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) President and CEO Nick Rhoad wrote a letter to the US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer in mid-August 2026 expressing concern about the tariffs and emphasising the potential impact on American precast concrete manufacturers. Republican Senator Susan Collins, representing Maine, also wrote to Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warning that businesses in her state would be adversely affected by tariffs on cement imported from Canada.

US: The Rhode Island Marine Trades Association Foundation (RIMTAF) has developed a pilot programme to test the use of decommissioned fibreglass boats in cement production. After removal of fuel, batteries and metal components, around 60t of hulls were cut and shredded at a facility in Johnson, Rhode Island, before being transported to Amrize’s Holly Hill cement plant in South Carolina.

When it enters the kiln, the resin in the hull-derived material acts as a fuel, partially replacing the conventional fuel used at the plant. The glass fibres contribute to the silica content in the clinker. The material was successfully accepted by the cement plant as both a fuel source and a raw material substitute. While 60t is a drop in the ocean, it is an important step towards a value-added reuse system for discarded fibreglass boat hulls, which are estimated to reach 200,000 every year in the US alone.

Credit: Thierry Mamberti

France: Heidelberg Materials France has planned a restructuring that would result in the closure of its site in Ranville, Normandy. The producer said that the decision was part of its ‘ongoing optimisation’ of its European production network, adapting clinker supply to changing market demands, in line with a stronger focus on ‘the end product cement.’

The step comes after a ‘significant’ decline in cement volumes following weak construction demand in France due to the current economic environment. A total of 87 employees will be affected by the plant closure, who will be offered ‘redeployment’ to other sites in France.