Australia: Adbri’s cement plant in Adelaide has received approval to burn more plastic waste as alternative fuel for its kiln, in a decision a local council is seeking to challenge in the courts, according to ABC news. The South Australia Environment Protection Authority (EPA) earlier in July 2026 approved a six-week trial permitting Adbri to use greater amounts of refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The plant had previously been allowed to burn up to 32t/hr, with a maximum 20% concentration of plastic. From Tuesday 21 July 2026, RDF will fuel the kiln at a maximum rate of 10t/hr and 50% plastic concentration, although the EPA's website says ‘it is not expected that [rate] will be sustained on an ongoing basis.’ Port Adelaide Enfield Council last week voted to seek ‘urgent legal advice’ about pursuing an injunction on the trial. The council also wants the government to enact 24-hour stack monitoring.

Port Adelaide Enfield mayor Claire Boan said "We have not seen nationwide data of any kind whatsoever that actually explains this is safe for our community, and that's a great concern.

It's not about closing them down. They've been there for a hundred years, for sure, but we've been here building our homes and that's really important and should be considered as well."

Adbri said that it has diverted at least 2.7Mt of waste that would have otherwise been sent to landfill since it began using alternative fuel in the early 2000s. A spokesperson said "The RDF proposed for use in the trial is a highly processed engineered fuel that must meet strict EPA standards and quality controls before it can be used."

EPA compliance director Steven Sergi said that pollutant monitoring would occur at different spots, including at the site's stack, and that there would be ‘ambient air quality’ monitoring in the community. He said data would be collected on emissions of various particle types, and of SO₂ and NO_x. "There's parameters set in the licence - as soon as those parameters are exceeded, particularly in relation to air quality, the trial ceases immediately," he said. Sergi added that the EPA would be conducting unannounced inspections at the site and that a report was expected within 90 days of the trial's completion.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building, parent company of Golden Bay Cement, said that the local government had granted its unit up to US$35m to support its Northland operations. The agreement provides certainty for Golden Bay Cement's continued domestic manufacturing capability and planned decarbonisation pathway, Fletcher said. Golden Bay Cement operates New Zealand's only domestic cement plant at Portland, supplying about 60% of the cement used, and nearly 95% of the firm's output is sold domestically. Golden Bay Cement will now continue to produce cement at its Northland plant until at least 2040, and invest at least US$87.8m through to 2040.

Fletcher Building CEO and Managing Director Andrew Reding said “Without government support, increasing costs, including CO₂ emissions costs that our competitors importing cement from overseas do not currently incur at the same level, would likely have required us to close the plant and move to an import-only model from 2030."

In a separate statement, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis said the government ‘did not take this decision lightly’ and undertook ‘rigorous’ analysis of the situation, including the risk of setting a new precedent. "Ultimately, we concluded that this is an exceptional case, which meets the very high bar needed to justify taxpayer support, Willis said.

She said the country would have been left ‘massively exposed’ to global supply disruptions if the Golden Bay plant shut down, adding that "Cement has no practical substitutes. It is needed for the building of homes, hospitals, schools, roads and other nationally significant infrastructure. Any reductions in its availability could bring essential construction and infrastructure development, and the economic activity they support, to a standstill."

Cabinet ministers reportedly considered the case in May 2026 and included a ‘limited envelope of funds’ in the Budget's operating allowance. They have since been in negotiations with the company over the size of the grant and the conditions attached.

Willis said that ministers also considered alternative forms of relief to the costs imposed by the emissions trading scheme, but ultimately decided against that so as not to undermine the scheme's integrity.

Sri Lanka: Around 1000 residents of Katunayake staged a protest on 19 July 2026 against a proposed grinding plant on the Columbo-Katunayake road near Sri Lanka’s international airport. Protesters said that the Central Environment Authority had approved a building plan for an area of 3857m² in December 2020, but that the original approval had now been changed to build a facility occupying 12,925m². The company is Melwa Cement, according to The Morning Telegraph newspaper.

Protesters said “This is a highly sensitive environmental zone with a dense population and a major tourism zone. Airport engineers have pointed out that the air pollution caused by cement dust from the plant in close proximity to the runway could affect aircraft engines and machinery and equipment in the airport.” They also pointed out that three schools and the Negombo lagoon, which provides livelihoods for thousands of fishermen, were in close proximity.

Switzerland/India: Coolbrook and ABB have announced the next phase of their partnership: to deliver an industrial-scale deployment of Coolbrook’s RotoDynamic Heater™ for Adani Cement’s Boyareddypalli integrated cement plant in Andhra Pradesh. Adani Cement and its partners aim to cut an initial 60,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions at the plant. As part of a long-term partnership, which has included exploratory research and development and testing, Coolbrook has now awarded ABB an electrical equipment scope for the project. ABB will provide drives, motors, switchgear and transformers, integrated with the ABB Ability™ System 800xA® distributed control system (DCS), to enable the safe, reliable and high-performance operation of the RotoDynamic Heater system.