Pakistan: Gharibwal Cement has blamed reduced exports due to tensions on the Pakistan-Indian border and rising input costs for a reduction in its sales. Its net sales fell by 3% year-on-year to US$72.3m in the year to 30 June 2019 from US$74.5m in the same period in 2018. Its cement dispatches fell by 11.4% to 1.68Mt from 1.89Mt. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 6.5% to US$18.7m from US$20m.

The cement producer said that work on a new 0.15Mt clinker silo is in progress and this is expected to be completed by June 2020. It is also building a rainwater reservoir to capture precipitation for use in the production process. The company operates a 2.1Mt/yr integrated plant at Ismailwal in Punjab Province.

Costa Rica: The government plans to approve legislation charging a 5% tax on both locally produced and imported cement by the end of December 2019. The new rules will standardise existing laws that have only been applicable to the provinces of Cartago, San José and Guanacaste so far, according to the La Republica newspaper. The previous system was only being levied on two of the three cement companies with a presence in the country based on the location of their operations.

Pakistan: Pioneer Cement’s sales fell by 4% year-on-year to US$62m in the year to 30 June 2019 from US$64.5m in the same period in 2018. Its costs and expenses grew by 7% to US$3.4m from US$3.2m. Its profit after taxation halved to US$5m from US$10.5m. The cement producer operates a 2Mt/yr integrated plant at Chenki in Punjab Province.

UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched the GCCA Industry EPD Tool (Version 2.0) to support the publication of environmental product declarations (EPDs) by cement and concrete producers. Originally commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Cement Sustainability Initiative, the new GCCA Industry EPD Tool includes the latest database of energy impacts from cement production from across the world, supporting the output of more accurate EPD data. The GCCA is making the tool available to all producers and organisations in the cement and concrete industry to increase availability to designers and clients of EPDs to support the sector deliver a sustainable built environment.

“We are committed to supporting the cement and concrete industry to reduce its environmental impact and support global sustainability goals. With the launch of the new EPD Tool, we are enabling the industry and its customers to better quantify and verify the life cycle environmental impact of existing products and to develop lower-impact products in the future,” said Andrew Minson, GCCA Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director.

The GCCA Industry EPD Tool has been developed by Quantis, verified by Studio Fieschi, and the GCCA says it is the first industry tool in the International EPD System. It is based on internationally recognised standards and product category rules.