Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos has expanded its range of products backed by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification to two cements produced in plants in the states of Paraná and Ceará, increasing the number of its products with EPD certification in Brazil to 17. In 2026, two new cement classes will receive certification from EPD Brasil: CP II-E 40 produced at the Pecém plant in Ceará and CP II-F 40 produced at the Rio Branco do Sul plant in Paraná. The producer also maintained EPD certifications for CP II-E 40, CP V ARI and CP III 40 RS cements produced at its Santa Helena plant in Votorantim, São Paulo.

EPDs provide third-party verified information on environmental impacts across the full product lifecycle, including energy, fuel and water consumption, logistics, waste management and transport.

Zimbabwe: Shuntai Investments Pvt Ltd expects to commission its US$120m cement plant in Chegutu within the next six months, with construction reportedly 55% complete and most equipment already delivered, according to NewsDay Zimbabwe. Speaking during a site tour, Shuntai Investments’ manager Zhao Zhiqiang said that the project had moved into an ‘advanced installation phase.’ “So far we have already invested over US$80m, and by the time we finish, total investment will be around US$120m,” he said.

The plant will have a production capacity of 1500t/day of cement (~495,000t/yr), rising to 1800t/day (~594,000t/yr) under optimal conditions. The company expects to begin supplying cement by mid-June 2026 following a short commissioning and testing period. Once operational, the facility is expected to create more than 500 jobs, with approximately 300 local workers currently employed for the construction of the plant. The company said it would prioritise the domestic market to reduce reliance on imports and stabilise local supply and prices, with exports considered only if surplus capacity becomes available.

Zhiqiang said that the company is phasing out diesel-powered equipment in favour of more environmentally-friendly alternatives, including ‘supercharged’ trucks and front loaders. He also confirmed that a court dispute involving Bryden Country School Trust had been resolved. The company is now reportedly ‘on good terms’ and has a ‘good relationship’ with the school. In August 2025 it was reported that the company was in a legal battle with the school over its close proximity to the planned cement plant, located roughly 500m from the school.

India: UltraTech Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to explore and pilot a circularity initiative for used lubricating oils in the Indian cement industry. Under the agreement, the producer will collaborate with HPCL to reprocess used lubricating oils from UltraTech’s cement plants into re-refined base oil at HPCL’s Green Research and Development Centre in Bangalore, with HPCL to explore the development of finished lubricants that meet UltraTech’s performance specifications. The MoU aligns with the Central Pollution Control Board’s extended producer responsibility guidelines for used oil and establishes a framework for collection, handling, recycling and reuse.

UltraTech recorded a ~6% thermal substitution rate in the 2025 financial year, using 2.1Mt of alternative fuels in its kilns. It also used 44Mt of recycled and alternative raw materials in cement production during the same period.

Sweden: Cemvision has completed a 1000m² industrial slab floor using its ‘near-zero’ cement product Re-ment Massive. The floor was cast in late 2025 together with flooring specialist Linotol, real estate company Stendörren and contractor Norra Stockholm Bygg. Cemvision said the concrete performed in line with conventional alternatives and was placed using standard equipment, workflows and casting methods.

“This project is a significant milestone for Cemvision and adds another strong proof point to our growing book of successful projects,” said Oscar Hållén, CEO of Cemvision. "We are proud to be working alongside such forward-leaning companies, and to show that the future of cement is already here, ready for market-scale deployment."

Cemvision said that the project shows how its cement can support low-carbon construction in fast-growing sectors such as logistics hubs, warehouses and data centres. The casting follows recent milestones for the company, such as the signing of a commercial agreement with Vattenfall to supply ‘near-zero-carbon’ cement.