Germany: HeidelbergCement has detailed how it uses bonuses to ensure country and cement plant managers achieve their CO₂ reduction targets. Chief financial officer Lorenz Näger explained to financial analysts following the publication of the group’s fourth quarter results for 2020, that a plant’s annual reduction target is calculated against the group-wide ‘525 by 2025’ target of CO₂ emissions of 525kg/t of cementitious material by 2025. Plant performance against this is multiplied with a financial target to determine a manager’s bonus. This enables for the enlargement of bonuses at financially well-performing plants which exceed their emissions reduction targets. A similar mechanism is also used for country managers. Näger called the incentive mechanism a ‘step-changer.’

US: Charah Solutions will sell and market production fly ash from NV Energy’s North Valmy coal-fired power plant in Valmy, Nevada under a contract with the power producer. The contract runs until 2025. The company will distribute the ash through its 40-location nationwide MultiSource materials network as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for cement and concrete production.

President and chief executive officer Scott Sewell said, “We are delighted to partner with NV Energy to manage their fly ash marketing needs at Valmy, while supplying our concrete producers with the high-quality material they need.”

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement has developed Nanoritia, a lithium manganese iron phosphate salt for use as a positive electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. The company says that the product has ‘excellent’ thermal stability and does not contain cobalt or nickel, which can sometimes be harder to source. As a result of the success, it will establish a 100t/yr nanoritia plant at its Central Research Laboratory in Sakura city, Chiba prefecture.

The group said, “We will proactively and swiftly develop and commercialise the production technology of this product, and contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions through the provision of materials for lithium-ion batteries. We will continue to strongly promote the group's management philosophy of business activities that are in harmony with not only economic development but also consideration for the environment and contribution to society, aiming to play a leading role in opening up a sustainable future for the earth.”

The cement and minerals producer has also been working on recycling large lithium-ion batteries at its integrated Tsuruga plant.

Turkey: Nuh Cement exported 4.5Mt of cement in 2020, corresponding to 22% of Turkish seaborne cement and clinker exports and over 2% of global seaborne cement and clinker in the year. It says the volume is the highest recorded in any year by a Turkish cement producer. The company also delivered the highest exports to the US from Turkey.

Nuh Cement international sales and marketing and port director Abdulhamit Akçay said, “I would like to extend my gratitude first and foremost to our respected clients, my export and port team under my command, production group management, maintenance group management, the purchasing department, the finance department, the human resources department, the information technology department and all other units and colleagues whose names have not been referred to, and our general manager and lastly but especially to our group chief executive officer who has led us with a unique leadership.”