EU: Cembureau has published its manifesto for industrial transformation for the European Parliament’s 2024-2029 legislative term. The manifesto calls for an ambitious EU agenda focused on the implementation of the European Green Deal along five key lines: 1 - turbo-charging EU and national funding and developing national industrial decarbonisation plans; 2 – Rolling out the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to create a level playing field for EU industries; 3 – Building a pan-European CO₂ capture network and moving towards circular carbon feedstocks; 4 – Placing circular economy at the heart of industrial decarbonisation; 5 – Enhancing the EU buildings’ agenda to significantly cut emissions.

Cembureau said “The European cement industry was one of the first sectors to present a 2050 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap following the publication of the European Green Deal. The past five years were marked by the development of a comprehensive EU legislative framework and the launch of significant decarbonisation investments in our industry. Now, with the deployment of carbon-neutral cements within our grasp, we need to implement transformative measures on innovation, infrastructure, public acceptance, digitalisation and skills development.”

Germany: Ratings agency EcoVadis has awarded drives supplier Flender its Platinum medal for its performance across environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement metrics.

CEO Andreas Evertz said "With our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, we have already achieved significant milestones. This excellent rating confirms our very good progress in the right direction. We are pleased with this but are also aware that there is still a long way to go. We aim to be pioneers in sustainability and inspire others - with full dedication and alongside our strong partners.”

Vietnam: State-owned Vicem sold 22.6Mt of cement and clinker in 2023, down by 18% year-on-year from 2022 levels. Việt Nam News has reported that the producer exported 2.85Mt of cement and clinker, 85% of its target volumes for the year. For 2024, Vicem aims to achieve full-year sales of 24.3Mt, up by 7.7%.

India: Ratna Cements has inaugurated its Mudhol cement plant in Karnataka after competing modernisation work. Following its previous upgrade in 2016, the plant had an integrated capacity of 365,000t/yr and an additional grinding capacity of 73,000t/yr. The Hindu newspaper has reported that parent company MRN Group marked the occasion of the latest inauguration with an announcement that it plans to build a new 1Mt/yr cement plant adjacent to the existing one in Mudhol.

MRN Group chair Murugesh Nirani noted importance of the group’s work to create jobs for Karnataka.