Displaying items by tag: Geocycle

Philippines: Holcim Philippines and Universal Robina Corporation (URC) have entered a tripartite agreement with the local government of Obando, Bulacan, to provide incentives for workers at the town's material recovery facility, based on the volume of refuse diverted. The material recovery facility in Obando has collected and sorted 785t of plastic waste for co-processing. Since 2021, URC and Holcim's waste management unit Geocycle has been processing plastic from URC's operations for co-processing. The plastics are converted into alternative fuels used to power the kiln at Holcim’s plant in Misamis Oriental.

Irwin Lee, URC president and CEO, said "This new agreement, with Obando as a key partner, aims to further drive community-based ‘waste’ diversion efforts. We hope to replicate it in other towns and cities to amplify the impact of what we set out to do three years ago."

Canada: Lafarge Canada, a subsidiary of Holcim, has inaugurated a new low-carbon fuel facility at its Exshaw cement plant, in a joint effort with Geocycle Canada. The US$28m facility is supported by a US$7.4m contribution from Emissions Reduction Alberta through the government’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction fund. It will reduce natural gas consumption by up to 50% for one of the plant’s kilns by substituting it with alternative fuels (AF) sourced from construction and demolition materials, primarily wood. Geocycle will process the materials into AF. This initiative is expected to divert up to 120,000t/yr of discarded materials from landfill, reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 30,000t/yr.

President and CEO of Lafarge Canada (West), Brad Kohl, said "Our commitment to building a sustainable future is at the core of everything we do. The low-carbon fuel project is a prime example of how innovation and collaboration can drive positive change, lowering our environmental footprint through the use of discarded biomass materials while closing the material loop to conserve natural resources.”

Canada: Geocycle and Lafarge Canada, together with the Department of Natural Resources Canada, have opened a new low-carbon fuel plant at the Lafarge Canada Brookfield cement plant in Nova Scotia. The facility, which cost over US$7.5m and received US$2.6m in federal funding, will convert 14,000t/yr of discarded materials headed for landfill into low-carbon fuels, reducing the plant's reliance on fossil fuels and its carbon emissions by over 12,000t/yr. The materials to be repurposed include plastic and construction and demolition materials. The cement created at the facility will be used to make concrete for construction projects in the local area and is expected to create jobs for the local community.

President and CEO of Lafarge Canada (East) David Redfern said "Cement is a vital component of infrastructure projects that contribute to economic growth. By implementing sustainable and innovative solutions to reduce our environmental impact, we're serving the needs of our customers and the communities in which we operate both now and in the future. Our continued collaboration with Geocycle Canada reinforces our commitment to invest and advance circular construction in Canada."

Head of Geocycle North America Sophie Wu said "At Geocycle, our solutions are circular by design. We are happy to take another significant step in our ongoing partnership with Lafarge Canada. This is a great example of our work toward the decarbonisation of the construction industry in Canada."

Costa Rica: Holcim Costa Rica has completed its merger of its circular materials management subsidiary Geocycle into itself. Following the merger, the cement producer’s registered capital rose by 13%, to US$16.3m. As a result, it will slightly reduce its capital by under 1% in order to align with accounting capital. The El Financiaro newspaper has reported that the company will now seek shareholder approval for the measure.

Costa Rica: Holcim subsidiary Geocycle has commissioned its new US$15m Agua Caliente de Cartago waste processing plant. The plant will process 75,000t/yr of municipal solid waste into refuse-derived fuel for use at Holcim Costa Rica’s 1.1Mt/yr Agua Caliente de Cartago cement plant.

Holcim Costa Rica CEO Andrea Lara said "Accelerating sustainable growth means driving innovative solutions that allow us to decarbonise cities, and today Costa Rica is a leader in the region through this project.”

Philippines: Holcim Philippines used 1Mt of alternative fuel (AF) in its cement production in 2023. This represents a 9% year-on-year rise from 2022 levels. Throughout the year, Holcim’s waste management subsidiary Geocycle raised its total number of local partners by 43%, to 50 city and municipal governments.

Holcim Philippines president and CEO Horia Adrian said "Our sustained effort to drive circularity in cement manufacturing is enabling us to more positively contribute to the country's progress." He added "Through our co-processing operations, we are significantly reducing our environmental footprint in producing important building materials for development structures while helping the country in managing wastes."

Bangladesh: LafargeHolcim Bangladesh has expanded its waste management network through a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with textiles industry body the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Under the MoU, LafargeHolcim Bangladesh’s waste management subsidiary Geocycle will begin providing its services to BGMEA’s member companies.

The Financial Express newspaper has reported that LafargeHolcim Bangladesh CEO Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury said “BGMEA is committed to the sustainable waste management of the clothing industry and unique solutions like Geocycle can play a pivotal role in addressing the waste challenges of the industry.”

UK: Thousands of tonnes of waste ceramics from one of the UK’s largest ceramic tile manufacturers will be recycled to make cement as part of a new initiative from Aggregate Industries. The cement producer, owned by Holcim, has agreed a four-year deal with Johnson Tiles to take 20,000t/yr of legacy waste scrap from its Stoke factory in Staffordshire. They will be transported a short distance to Aggregate Industries’ Cauldon cement plant, where they will be crushed and mixed with limestone and the other raw materials prior to entering the kiln.

Andrew Whyatt, Geocycle UK General Manager at Aggregate Industries, said “We are delighted to be working with such a potteries stalwart as Johnson Tiles in order to recycle what would otherwise be a waste product. Materials such as this offer a great alternative to excavating fresh raw materials, preserving our local natural resources, whilst offering a solution whereby 100% of the material will be upcycled into new local cement. Both companies share a drive towards sustainable manufacturing and partnerships like this are vital as Aggregate Industries aims to reclaim or recycle 3Mt/yr of materials by 2025.”

Uganda: Hima Cement has awarded a contract to Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda to supply waste plastics for use as alternative fuel (AF) at the cement producer’s plant in Kasese. Under the contract, Holcim subsidiary Geocycle will collect and process the waste.

PML Daily News has reported that Hima Cement CEO Jean-Michel Pons said “As part of our decarbonisation and circular economy approach, we utilise materials at the end of their lifecycle as AF, such as industrial wastes like plastics and agricultural wastes like biomass, thus reducing the carbon intensity of our cement, while offering a unique solution to waste challenges.”

El Salvador: Geocycle has partnered with renewables company AES El Salvador to process end-of-life solar panels for use as fuel in cement production. The partners say that this will ensure circularity for all materials used in supplying El Salvador with renewable energy.

AES El Salvador said “AES applies circularity throughout the value chain of its solar plants, from the generation of renewable energy to the proper management of waste, and ensures that the waste produced throughout its cycle serves as raw material for other products and services. By adopting these principles, it contributes to the sustainable development of the country and promotes a cleaner, greener and carbon-free future for future generations.”