South Africa: Afrimat has announced that it has sold certain aggregates quarries and ready-mix concrete plants across South Africa for US$13.0m to Saturc. The sale forms part of a condition for Afrimat's acquisition of Lafarge South Africa Holdings, part of Holcim subsidiary Caricement, for US$6m in April 2024. Afrimat also agreed to repay a US$54.4m loan owed by Lafarge South Africa to Caricement.
The disposal is effective as of 8 June 2026 and will close on 1 July 2026.
France: Holcim has launched the sector’s first industrial-scale carbon capture test platform in Martres-Tolosane, France, to enable field testing and validation of technologies alongside third-party partners. Developed by Holcim’s research and development teams in Switzerland and France, CaptureLab enables Holcim, as well as manufacturers, startups and researchers, to test breakthrough carbon capture technologies and adapt them to cement manufacturing. The 2500m² platform is capable of analysing and processing CO₂ and other emissions from the cement industry. Its ‘plug-and-play’ architecture accommodates different carbon capture systems that can be connected to Holcim’s Martres-Tolosane plant.
Ram Muthu, Head of Group Operational Excellence, said “With CaptureLab, Holcim has built a unique facility to test and scale the most advanced carbon capture technologies through an agile, open innovation model with our valued partners. Validated technologies will be used at Holcim’s own sites, advancing our industry-shaping decarbonisation roadmap and contributing to the production of ‘near-zero’ cement. CaptureLab will advance our vision to be the leading partner for sustainable construction.”
For CaptureLab’s launch, Holcim is operating the platform while the first pilot project is being conducted by Air Liquide using its Cryocap proprietary technology. CaptureLab will allow Holcim’s partners to test and validate current or next-generation technologies – such as cryogenic treatment, chemical absorption, physical adsorption, membrane separation or biological processes – in real-world conditions and at scale.
Spain: Mexico-based multinational cement producer Cemex has renewed its ISO 50001 energy management certification for 100% of its plants in Spain, including its facilities in Alicante, Alcanar (Tarragona), Morata de Jalón (Zaragoza), and Castillejo (Toledo), for another three years. This ISO standard is the most widely used worldwide for optimising energy use, reducing costs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
The initiative is part of the company’s Future in Action roadmap, which focuses on the decarbonisation of processes and the development of innovative solutions with a lower environmental impact, such as cement and concrete with lower clinker content, the use of alternative fuels and a commitment to the circular economy.
Spain: Cemex has sold over one million zero waste cement bags in the Balearic Islands, Spain, according to a press release from 9 June 2026. Introduced to local markets in late 2023, the bags are designed to dissolve completely during the mixing process, without generating waste or affecting the technical performance of the cement. The solution has helped prevent over one million bags from being treated or disposed of in landfill so far.
The zero waste bags contain Cemex’s Vertua® Supremo cements, which offer at least a 55% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional cements. The reductions are calculated using CEM I cement manufactured in 2000 as a baseline, with a value of 0.822t of CO₂ per tonne of cement, according to the criteria accepted by the Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA).
