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.

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.

Papua New Guinea: Pacific Lime and Cement (PLC) has agreed a strategic partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to provide advisory support for PLC’s Phase 2 Central Cement Project in Central Province, Papua New Guinea. The project will be PNG’s first vertically integrated clinker and cement production facility, aimed at substituting imports and meeting domestic demand. IFC’s participation brings technical expertise and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards to the project, aligning it with international best practices and helping to de-risk the path toward full financing and construction. As part of the advisory scope, IFC will assess the project’s existing Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) and recommend improvements to help PLC move toward compliance with IFC Performance Standards, a requirement for international finance.