Displaying items by tag: target

France: Vicat aims to process 100% alternative fuels (AF) in its fuel mix across all cement plants in France by 2025. The L'Est Républicain newspaper has reported that the producer recorded a substitution rate of 66% in France in 2022, and of 95% at its Xeuilley cement plant in Meurthe-et-Moselle in the same year.

Europe: The European Parliament voted in favour of multiple amendments to the European Commission’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) on 22 November 2023. The amendments remove, modify or make non-binding the PPWR’s 2040 reuse targets. Meanwhile, 2030 targets were made adjustable to recycling rates. Total packaging volumes are still required to drop by 5% by 2030 and by 15% by 2040 in each member state.

Sustainability lobbying organisation Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS) described the introduction of recycling rates into a lower schema of waste targets as ‘comparing apples with pears.’ ECOS attributed the amendments to a ‘barrage’ of false claims, scaremongering and lobbying from industry players.

ECOS programme manager Mathias Falkenberg said “This decision will not sufficiently address rising plastic and packaging waste or the pollution crisis. The European Parliament has just weakened a perfectly feasible solution to tackle throwaway culture without offering an alternative. It is very frustrating that the European Commission’s progressive prevention and reuse agenda has not received full support from the Parliament today.”

ECOS founded the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC), an association of companies focused on alternative building materials production, in May 2023.

Bulgaria: Titan Cement subsidiary Zlatna Panega Cement plans to invest Euro11m in sustainability-enhancing upgrades to its Zlatnopanegki cement plant in Lovech Province. The work centres around a Euro7m alternative fuels (AF) upgrade, to raise the plant’s AF substitution rate to 70% from 50% in 2022. Besides this, the producer will also invest Euro4m in the construction of a solar power plant at the facility. The solar power plant is scheduled for commissioning in March 2024. General manager Adamantios Frantzis said that the plant will subsequently move on to its ‘next big project,’ consisting of a Euro35 – 50m upgrade, in 2026 – 2028.

Zlatna Panega Cement invested Euro5.7m in capital expenditure throughout 2022, more than double its investments of Euro2.6m in 2021. It is committed to interim CO₂ reduction targets of 5000t/yr (Scope 1) and 3000t/yr (Scope 2 and 3), and net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

Mexico: Cemex Mexico subsitituted 36% of it cement fuel with alternative fuel (AF) in 2022. This exceeds the Mexican cement industry’s target for 2030, of 32%. Mexico Business News has reported that the producer used 1.05Mt of AF across its operations. This reduced its CO₂ emissions by 1.8Mt, and prevented 850,000t of methane emissions from being generated in landfill. Cemex Mexico’s Huichapan cement plant in Hidalgo set the company record for the year, with 207,000t of AF co-processed in its cement production. It produced 3.2Mt of cement for the Bajio, Central, Central-North, Laguna and Southeast Mexico markets.

Sustainability Manager Carlos Medina said "Last year’s results motivate us to intensify our efforts and uphold good practices that benefit communities and the environment. We will keep promoting environmentally friendly solutions in all our operations, as we are convinced that all social actors must collaborate to lay the foundations for a better future."

UK: N+P has expanded its footprint in Northeast England through the acquisition of Niramax Group. Niramax Group operates a 300,000t/yr solid recovered fuel (SRF) plant in Hartlepool, County Durham. The newly acquired subsidiary will henceforth operate as N+P Hartlepool MRF. N+P already operates a Subcoal SRF plant in nearby Stockton-on-Tees. It aims to increase its total number of plants to 15 from five across the UK and the Netherlands by 2028.

Chief executive officer Karel Jennissen said “We are delighted to have completed this acquisition and look forward to welcoming the workforce to the N+P family. This site is part of a pipeline of acquisitions being undertaken that began with Crayford MRF last year, the largest recycling plant in the UK, and this is a key part of our growth strategy alongside building new greenfield operations. In addition to its existing activities, Hartlepool will become a hub for N+P’s research and development, which will aim to deliver further innovations to the waste market in order to improve the environmental outcomes of waste treatment and further improve recycling rates.”

US: Heidelberg Materials subsidiary Mason City Cement plans to invest US$4 - 5m in upgrades to its kiln line by 2026. Upon completion, the work will enable the plant to achieve an alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate of 50%.

Heidelberg Materials' North America regional vice president of government affairs and communications David Perkins said "We want to be proactive as a company and really try to lower our carbon footprint and energy intensity, while recognising we have to be competitive." He added "We're a long-term industry on the cement side because of the investment that's required to produce it."

Philippines: Holcim Philippines says that it has successfully processed its millionth tonne of waste into alternative fuel (AF) for use in its cement production. BusinessWorld News has reported that the cement producer reached this circular economy milestone in partnership with 35 different municipal authorities.

Holcim Philippines CEO Horia-Ciprian Adrian said "Our success in reusing discarded materials is further reducing our consumption of natural resources and carbon footprint. This also enables us to help industries and communities achieve their zero waste objectives."

Philippines: CRH subsidiary Republic Cement and its waste management subsidiary Ecoloop are seeking to establish partnerships with 'sustainability-minded' organisations. BusinessWorld News has reported that Republic Cement and Ecoloop process waste for 12 private companies and 30 local government units. Philippines law will require that large organisations recover 80% of their plastic packaging waste by 2030. For 2023, the minimum is 20%.

Ecoloop managing director Angela Edralin-Valencia said “Our goal is to make our cement a greener and more environmentally friendly product. Our ambition is to replace 50% of our fuel consumption with alternative fuel." She added "A lot of investments have to be put in place from our end to get to that number, but we are still reviewing our options.”

India: Adani Cement has announced the launch of a dedicated waste processing subsidiary called Geoclean. Geoclean will process waste for recycling and use as alternative fuel (AF) in its cement production and alternative raw materials in its production of other building materials. Geoclean inherits the projects and all 14 waste management plants of its predecessor company Geocycle India. The Orissa Diary newspaper has reported that Geoclean aims to help Adani Cement to co-process 3.7Mt of AF over the five-year period up to the end of 2027. This would raise its subsidiaries ACC and Ambuja Cements’ AF substitution rate to 30%, from 6% in 2021.

Adani Cement CEO Ajay Kapur said "We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies in our overall business. We have always believed in environmental conservation, and are committed to making the optimum contribution towards co-processing waste responsibly for a sustainable future. Adani Cement will continue its endeavours to promote sustainability and build a cleaner and greener planet."

Mexico: Cemex Mexico plans to install hydrogen injection systems at four cement plants across Mexico. The producer will use the technology to increase alternative fuel (AF) substitution at the plants by 8 - 10%. A 40% reduction in Scope 3 purchased fuel emissions forms part of Cemex's 2020 -2030 CO₂ emissions reduction strategy. Through the decarbonisation and circular economy pillars of its Future in Action plan, the group aims to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Cemex Mexico president Ricardo Naya said "Hydrogen is a key technology to accelerate the implementation of our climate action roadmap."

The El Financiero newspaper has reported that Cemex set a new group record AF substitution rate of 34% in September 2022. It uses hydrogen at all of its European cement plants and at one plant in the Dominican Republic.