In December 2025, the European cement industry took significant steps toward decarbonisation. Two major initiatives in the UK and Bulgaria show that carbon capture and storage (CCUS) technologies are moving from pilot projects to industrial application. This directly impacts the use of strategic materials — GBFS and ACS, which remain essential for low‑carbon cement production. […]

The first week of December 2025 highlighted how the European cement and metallurgical industries are striving to balance environmental ambitions with the stability of strategic material supply. Alpacem invests in alternative raw materials. On 2 December, Alpacem Cement Austria announced a major project at its Wietersdorf plant (Carinthia), aimed at integrating secondary raw materials into

At the beginning of winter 2025, the industry finds itself at the intersection of two key trends: the active use of secondary materials and the gradual transition to new steelmaking technologies. Slag recycling gains momentum. According to EUROSLAG, in 2024 the EU recycled 92% of steelmaking slags. Out of 38 million tonnes generated, 35 million

Heidelberg Materials suspended its CCS project in Sweden. On 19 November, the company announced a pause in the implementation of the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) system at the Slite plant (Gotland). The project was expected to reduce the country’s emissions by 1.8 million tonnes per year, about 4% of Sweden’s total emissions. The government’s

In November 2025, Europe’s cement industry demonstrated significant steps toward sustainable development. The focus was placed on the use of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS), the introduction of pellets and briquettes from mill scale, and discussions around EU decarbonisation policies. Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) In the United Kingdom, Cemex UK and Sika UK confirmed

Sustainable development in Europe’s metallurgical industry is no longer just a slogan — it is an economic necessity. The sector is actively seeking solutions that combine energy efficiency, emission reduction, and rational use of raw materials. Three key technological directions stand at the center of this transformation: Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), Pellets and Briquettes (Mill

The European metallurgical sector is undergoing a profound transformation driven by decarbonisation, rising energy costs, and updated EU industrial policy. Today, three key directions define the new market dynamics: the development of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), the growing use of metallic briquettes made from mill scale, and the modernisation of pig iron production. According to

The European cement market is moving from commitments to concrete action.On 23 October 2025, Heidelberg Materials announced the commercial launch of evoZero®, the world’s first carbon-captured cement, now available across Europe.(globalcement.com) Produced at the company’s Brevik plant in Norway, evoZero® is manufactured using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, capturing CO₂ directly during production and

Heidelberg Materials begins deliveries of evoZero® cement On 17 October 2025, Heidelberg Materials officially launched commercial deliveries of its innovative evoZero® cement — the world’s first carbon-captured cement now being supplied to clients across Europe. (CemNet)The product features an exceptionally low Global Warming Potential (GWP) and is based on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology implemented at the company’s

EEA: EU industry lags behind in decarbonisation The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published a new report highlighting that the European Union’s industrial sectors — including the cement industry — are progressing too slowly toward climate goals.Since 2015, greenhouse gas emissions from energy-intensive industries have fallen by only around 1%, while achieving the Net-Zero by 2050 target requires