Türkiye: The Turkish Cement Manufacturers' Association (Türkçimento) has issued a strategic statement addressing the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), calling for EU recognition of Türkiye’s national monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) emissions data to ensure fair competition. The association warned that current EU CBAM default emission values may overstate actual emissions from Turkish cement producers, potentially increasing carbon costs from around €20/t to €80/t of clinker. It said that this could threaten the economic sustainability of exports to the EU.

Türkçimento CEO Volkan Bozay said that Türkiye’s cement sector has operated within an EU-aligned MRV system since 2015 and that low-emission dry-process kilns are used at all of its facilities. He said that actual export data for exports to the EU during the CBAM transition period showed that emissions for grey cement clinker are around 0.88t of CO₂ per tonne of cement, while the default value of 1.551t of CO₂ per tonne is applied to Türkiye under the ‘other countries’ category. He said the difference creates additional costs that do not reflect actual emission performance and could ultimately increase prices for EU consumers.

He added "To prevent CBAM from becoming a de facto trade barrier, national values based on EU-aligned MRV data should be used instead of general 'other countries' default values. Until the verification infrastructure becomes fully operational, actual emission data should be taken as the basis and disproportionate financial burdens should be avoided. Otherwise, as a system that fails to distinguish between low-carbon production and the most carbon-intensive production, CBAM will not effectively support low-carbon manufacturing and may instead function as a non-tariff technical barrier.”

Algeria: Algeria has reportedly transitioned from a cement importing country to a net exporter following major investments in new cement plants and expanded production capacity, according to local press.

The country’s installed cement capacity is around 42Mt/yr, while domestic demand is estimated at between 20Mt/yr and 30Mt/yr. It exports around 10Mt/yr. Recent export activity was reported at the Port of Béjaïa on 23 March 2026, where ships were loading both bagged and bulk cement for export markets. One vessel loaded 10,000t of cement, while another loaded 46,200t. The Port Authority did not provide details on the destination of the exports.

US: HWI, a subsidiary of Calderys, has officially opened a new lightweight monolithics production facility in Fulton, Missouri, increasing its production capacity for lightweight refractory materials. The greenfield facility is located at the company’s rotary kiln complex and has direct access to local clay reserves. The plant includes a furnace system for its Greenlite aggregate production, robotic automation for packaging and material handling, and upgraded packaging capabilities. The company said the new facility will reduce lead times, support make-to-stock inventory and allow it to pursue larger-scale projects that were previously limited by supply constraints.

CEO of Calderys Michel Cornelissen said “Demand for these high-performance, energy-saving lightweight refractories continues to grow rapidly while global supply chains remain under pressure.”

Syria: The project to rehabilitate and modernise the Tartous cement plant in partnership with UAE-based QZ Group is advancing, as part of efforts to revive the industrial sector and reduce reliance on cement imports, according to Business News Africa. The project will upgrade the plant’s milling and packaging units, introducing modern technologies and improving environmental performance. Preparatory work is currently underway, including site cleaning, maintenance and equipment readiness before full-scale development begins.

Bassam Ali, director of the Tartous cement plant, said the agreement signed between the state-owned Omran Company and QZ Group also prioritises training local workers and transferring technical expertise. QZ project manager Ahmed Salma said that the initial phase includes engineering and environmental studies, as well as coordination with international suppliers for equipment procurement. The company has also begun importing clinker from Egypt and Saudi Arabia in preparation for grinding operations. The 15-year project is expected to increase domestic cement output and help to stabilise prices in the local market.