Global Cement News

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has revised its Scope 1 CO₂ emissions reduction goal down to 475kg/t of cementitious product by 2030, from 520kg/t previously. The new target is 8.7% lower than the previous one, which it set in November 2020. Votorantim Cimentos previously reduced its emissions per tonne by 20% between 1990 and 2021. The group's targeted reduction from a 2018 base year now equates to 25%. The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) validated the ambitious target on 1 December 2022.

Votorantim Cimentos expects to achieve its aim through increased alternative fuel (AF) co-processing, substitution of supplementary cementitious materials, improved efficiency and use of renewable power and the development of new technologies, including carbon capture.

The group's global sustainability, institutional relations, product development and engineering director Álvaro Lorenz said “The fight against the negative effects of climate change is at the heart of our strategy and reflects our focus on competitiveness and on creating a positive legacy. The most competitive businesses will be those with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. After all, the environmental crisis is also an economic and social crisis. The validation of our new target by SBTi reinforces our commitment and continuous efforts toward the net-zero agenda.”

India: Ecologists have established a connection between the activities of cement plants in Khrew, Kashmir, and massive disruptions to local red deer herds. The deer, known locally as hangul, are now mainly restricted to one national park throughout their 600km-long historic range. Scroll News has reported that Khrew, where eight cement plants are situated, adjoins forest forming an important corridor for hanguls. Local conservation campaigners say that cement plants' incursion on traditional grazing land has driven farmers' herds into this ecologically important forest.

Some zoologists class the hangul as a species in its own right. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature categorises the animal as critically endangered.

Pakistan: Fauji Cement is among 50 Pakistani industrial companies to win a prize at the 12th Fire Safety 2022 on 4 December 2022, the Balochistan Times has reported. Fire Protection Industry of Pakistan (FPIP) and the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) selected the winners for their fire safety investments, training time, awareness practices and state of equipment, with the aim of controlling incidents of fire and saving lives.

Kenya: Savannah Cement has ordered a new US$300m production line from China-based Sinoma international Engineering for its Kitui plant. The project scope covers supplying an integrated clinker production line from limestone crushing to cement packaging and logistics. The line will have a clinker production capacity of 8000t/day. Commissioning of the new line is scheduled for about two years after the contract takes effect.

Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe has finalised a deal to sell a 76% stake in the company to Fossil Mines. The transaction is now set to conclude once the shares are transferred in exchange for the agreed price. The divestment by the subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim was first announced in June 2022. No amount for the transaction has been disclosed publicly.