France: The council of Paris has voted to withdraw permissions for a planned expansion to LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France’s Bercy concrete plant after protesters captured footage of a slurry spill that the company called ‘exceptional.’

Finanznachrichten News has reported that the council also voted to launch a “mission to reassess cement and building materials production by 2040” to preserve the local environment, as a result of which it expects the city to shift its reliance to imports of cement and concrete from surrounding areas.

US: The Portland Cement Association has launched greenercement.com, an informative website site dedicated to Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) applications and benefits. The organisation says that PLC’s 10% reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions when compared with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) make it the sustainable choice for innovative construction.

President and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Ireland said, “PLC is another example of the cement industry evolving over the years, continuing to innovate and sustainably producing the high-quality cement that is needed to help keep America’s infrastructure strong and resilient.” He added, “This initiative will help educate engineers and other specifiers on how PLC can easily be incorporated into numerous projects.”

Philippines: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Holcim Philippines has launched a new social media marketing campaign for its flagship general purpose Excel brand cement. The Business Mirror newspaper has reported that the campaign uses the words “support and lift” in relation to the attributes consumers most associate with Excel cement.

The company said, “Holcim Philippines has sold over 1bn bags of Excel since 2000. This reflects the trust of local contractors, who in turn have used this to build many of the things that benefit us today. This campaign is a reminder that Excel will continue to be reliable partner in building a better Philippines moving forward.”

Mexico: The total cement demand generated by infrastructure projects in 2020 will be 1.9Mt, down by 95% from 40Mt in 2019. The El Sol de Mexico newspaper has reported that the government plans to invest US$12.1bn in 32 projects throughout the course of 2020.

Cemex president Rogelio Zambrano welcomed the decision to continue investing in infrastructure, saying that the promised sum would likely stimulate private sector investment in construction exceeding US$13.8bn. He added, “Both self-construction and infrastructure activity are to thank for the recovery in the construction industry since June 2020.”