Global Cement News

Taiwan: Taiwan Cement has been awarded the first product carbon footprint label by the local Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). It follows its completion of the structure of product category rules (PCR) in early August 2020 and inspection by the EPA. TCC's products will be marked with carbon footprint labels from the fourth quarter of 2020. The Taiwan-based cement producer has also announced support for the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s (GCCA) 2050 Climate Ambition plan.

TCC started its Science-Based Target project in 2019 and says it became the first cement company in the Greater China region to complete target setting and was approved by Science-Based Target initiatives (SBTi) in June 2020. Following the science-based methods promoted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from the United Nations, TCC set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 11% in 2025, using 2016 emissions as the base. TCC completed carbon footprint certification for the most popular cement products, Portland Type I cement and Ready-Mixed Concrete 3000psi, in July 2020.

Uzbekistan: The Ministry of Transport has secured a US$274m loan from the Asian Development Bank for investment in the construction of a 240km road in Karakalpakstan. Asian Development Bank senior transport specialist Pavan Karki said, “As a landlocked country, Uzbekistan has made regional connectivity a central element of its transport policy. This project will help develop the country's potential as a regional transport and logistics hub between Europe and Southeast Asia, contributing to economic growth.” The road will be part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Programme Corridor 2. Uzbekistan Newsline has reported that the project will generate ‘significant demand’ for the country’s cement producers.

Europe: Cembureau, the European Cement Association, has announced that its ‘Cementing Europe’s Future: Building the Green Deal’ webinar will take place on 13 October 2020. The programme includes keynote speeches from association president Raoul de Parisot and German Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Jochen Flasbarth. Additionally, members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission, LafargeHolcim, HeidelbergCement and several other companies involved in the European cement industry will speak.

India: The state government of Uttar Pradesh has granted approval to three planned grinding plant projects with a total value of US$115m. The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported that Kanodia Cement ’s Amethi grinding plant will cost US$39.6m, Eco Plus Cement Industries’ Prayagraj grinding plant will cost US$38.6m and Eco Plus Cement Industries’ Mirzapur grinding plant will cost US$37.1m.

India: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has warned producers to avoid the use of objective product descriptions which may subsequently be proven as false claims. The Economic Times newspaper has reported that the advice follows an internal circular of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution detailing plans for a tightening of standards around the use of objective terms such a ‘corrosion resistant,’ ‘weather proof’ and ‘damp proof’ by cement producers.