Ivory Coast: The Association of Cement Producers of Cote d'Ivoire (APCCI) has called for stricter quality control in the cement industry. During an industry stakeholders panel discussion held in mid-December 2025 APCCI Vice President Ivan Zarka said that the association aims to guarantee the protection of consumers by ensuring the availability of compliant cement, according to the Agence Ivoirienne de Presse. He blamed building collapses in recent years on design flaws or poor quality concrete formulations. He lobbied for strict adherence to CODINORM (Côte d'Ivoire Normalisation) standards and improved monitoring of formulations.

Nagolo Soro, the Deputy Director General of the Abidjan Cement Company, said that the quality of cement produced in the country is ‘generally under control,’ while emphasising the need for continuous improvement of laboratory equipment. He also suggested strengthening the role of the LBTP (Laboratory of Building and Public Works) as the national reference laboratory.

The APCCI also encouraged further use of cement in applications such as concrete road construction. The country currently produces 21Mt/yr of cement but only uses an estimated 7Mt/yr.

Pakistan: Maple Leaf Cement has launched a public offer to buy shares representing up to 11.7% in Pioneer Cement. The action is intended to be part of a process that gives it control of the target company. Maple Leaf Cement currently has a combined shareholding of 18.53% in Pioneer Cement, via its direct shares, those of a subsidiary and through one of its directors. It is currently in the process of acquiring 69.75% of the shares in Pioneer Cement from a group of major shareholders, most notably including Vision Holdings Middle East. Once completed, the combined local market share of the two cement companies is expected to be 15.5%. It should become the third largest cement producer in the country.

Europe: The European Commission will expand the scope of the European Union’s (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to include industrial machinery at the start of 2028. The carbon tariff will add specific steel and aluminium-intensive downstream products. The majority, 94%, of these downstream goods concerned are industrial supply chain products with a high (on average 79%) steel and aluminium content, used in heavy machinery and specialised equipment, such as base metal mountings, cylinders, industrial radiators or machines for casting. A small share, 6%, of the downstream goods concerned are also household goods such as washing machines.

Importers of cement, aluminium, electricity, fertilisers, hydrogen and iron and steel will start to pay a tax based on the carbon emissions of these products from the beginning of 2026. The European Commission has also launched a Temporary Decarbonisation Fund in order to temporarily support EU producers of CBAM goods and mitigate carbon leakage risks.

Australia: Hallett Group has successfully tested a trial of cement despatch at its Port Adelaide Terminal. During a trial, trucks drove through the unit’s storage dome and tested cement despatch into internal cement silos. The cement terminal is intended to distribute cement from Hallett Group's Port Augusta slag cement grinding plant in the north of South Australia state.