Displaying items by tag: Holcim
Holcim Costa Rica inaugurates Agua Caliente ready-mix concrete plant
04 December 2024Costa Rica: Holcim Costa Rica has inaugurated a new US$650,000, 25m3/hr ready-mix concrete plant in Agua Caliente, Cartago. The El Financiero newspaper has reported that the new plant is equipped to produce Dynamax high-performance concrete and ECOCycle circular concrete. The plant will employ 13 people, including Costa Rica’s first women concrete mixer truck drivers.
CEO Natalia Soler noted the convenient proximity of the concrete plant to its 1.1Mt/yr Agua Caliente cement plant.
UK: Switzerland-based Neustark has partnered with Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries to launch the UK’s first mineralisation plant in Greenwich, London. The small-scale mobile plant will sequester CO2 in recycled concrete produced using fines recovered from construction and demolition materials (CDM). The plant is situated at an existing Aggregates Industries CDM recycling site. A large-scale plant with a sequestration capacity of 1000t/yr of CO2 is due to follow in early 2025.
Neustark CEO Valentin Gutknecht said "Neustark and Holcim have been working together almost since the founding of Neustark five years ago. 1Mt of CO₂ durably removed from the atmosphere in 2030 – that’s our ambition. We’re already well underway towards the megatonne goal. Our strategic partnership with Holcim represents a significant part of this roadmap. It will be a true catalyst to further scale up the permanent carbon removal impact that we generate in the next few years.”
Aggregate Industries CEO Lee Sleight said that the partnership would turn London into ‘one of the world’s largest urban mines.’ He said “This isn’t just a great carbon removal innovation but a great circular economy innovation, where we are taking what was once a waste stream and reusing it, saving us from digging up virgin materials in the first place."
Neustark has so far sequestered 2500t of CO2 in circular concrete for use in further construction.
Holcim and Climate Pledge Fund co-invest in Paebbl and 14Trees
10 October 2024Sweden/Switzerland: Holcim has partnered with US-based retail company Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to invest in CO2-sequestering concrete filler developer Paebbl and 3D printers 14Trees. The Paebbl investment is part of a US$25m Series A funding round jointly led by Germany-based venture capital firm Capnamic. Holcim says that the new investment will help Paebbl to scale up. Meanwhile, 14Trees, which is a joint venture of Holcim and British International Investment, will also scale up its operations to begin 3D printing larger buildings, including data centres.
Paebbl co-CEO Marta Sjögren said "We are thrilled to welcome first movers in their respective fields, Amazon and Holcim, as first commercial partners to bring our vision to market. This funding round enables us to take even bolder steps in our mission to make the built environment a cornerstone of the decarbonised economy."
14Trees managing director Francois Perrot said "We are excited to count Amazon and Holcim as investors in 14 Trees, to take our successful 3D-printed technology from homes and schools to data centres, to deliver low-carbon and high-performance buildings."
Holcim’s chief sustainability officer Nollaig Forrest said "By investing with Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund into 14Trees and Paebbl, we can scale up these pioneering technologies to push the boundaries of sustainable building, from 3D printing to making concrete a carbon sink."
New Zealand: Holcim New Zealand has acquired a ready-mix concrete plant in Wanaka, Otago, and associated assets from WeMix Concrete. Quarry Magazine News has reported that Holcim New Zealand previously operated 21 ready-mix concrete plants, but just one on New Zealand’s South Island, in Christchurch, Canterbury.
Holcim New Zealand general manager Michael Miller said "WeMix Wanaka has built a strong reputation in Central Otago, and we are excited to welcome and integrate their business into the Holcim family. The purchase and expansion allow us to solidify our presence in the South Island, strengthening our commitment to innovative, sustainable building solutions across New Zealand, while continuing the high-quality service customers have come to expect from WeMix."
Costa Rica: América Construcciones (Amco) has begun building a new 110m3/hr ready-mix concrete batching plant at Villareal in Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province. Noticias Financieras News has reported that the plant will also have an office building on-site. Amco operates in strategic partnership with Switzerland-based Holcim in Costa Rica.
Amco general manager Pablo Labarca said "The opening of our new plant in Villareal is a significant step in our business growth strategy. We are committed to delivering high-quality products and playing a key role in the economic development of the region." Labarca added "We value our partnership with Holcim, which shares our vision in areas such as innovation and sustainability, helping us bring advanced and eco-friendly solutions to the Guanacaste market.”
Holcim acquires Mixercon and Comacsa
09 August 2024Peru: Switzerland-based Holcim has acquired ready-mix concrete producer Mixercon and industrial minerals producer Comacsa for US$100m combined. Noticias Financieras News has reported that the acquisitions mark Holcim’s entry into Peru, strengthening its hold in the South and Central American market.
Regional head Oliver Osswald said "The incorporation of Comacsa and Mixercon will allow us to generate synergies and develop export markets.”
Holcim completes acquisition of Cand-Landi Group
27 June 2024Switzerland: Holcim has acquired recycling, ready-mix concrete and aggregates company Cand-Landi Group. The company employs 250 people across its operations in Western Switzerland. Holcim plans for Cand-Landi Group to supply alternative raw materials and fuels for use at its Eclépens plant. It says that the acquisition will increase its recycling capacity of construction and demolition materials by 100,000t/yr.
Holcim CEO Miljan Gutovic said "The acquisition of the Cand-Landi Group will advance decarbonisation and circularity in Switzerland, a lighthouse market for innovation at Holcim. I look forward to welcoming all 250 employees of the Cand-Landi Group and investing in our next chapter of growth together."
Lafarge Canada and Hyperion Global Energy launch Tandem Carbon Recycling System at Bath cement plant
12 June 2024Canada: Hyperion Global Energy has fired up its pilot Tandem Carbon Recycling System at Lafarge Canada’s Bath cement plant in Ontario. The system mineralises captured CO2 to produce mineral components for alternative building materials. It has a capture capacity of 1000t/yr. The partners will test the Tandem Carbon Recycling System in producing Lafarge Canada’s 30 – 90% reduced CO2 ECOPact concrete.
Lafarge Canada’s Eastern Canada regional president and CEO of David Redfern said "Our collaboration with Hyperion marks an exciting milestone in our decarbonisation journey and the advancement of our circular construction technologies. We look forward to advancing our net zero strategy by leveraging carbon utilisation technology like Hyperion's, enabling us to further reduce CO₂ emissions from our operations while at the same time producing innovative and sustainable building solutions."
Hyperion CEO Heather Ward said "Working together with an innovative partner like Lafarge on this exciting pilot project allows us to apply our proprietary carbon recycling technology to large-scale industries, and make an immediate, measurable reduction on carbon emissions. At the same time, we are advancing our vision to offer a scalable and affordable decarbonisation solution for industry, and a market-driven profit incentive on the cost of carbon removal."
Holcim acquires Land Recovery
05 June 2024UK: Holcim has completed its acquisition of rail ballast recycling specialist Land Recovery. Land Recovery produces raw materials for use in ready-mix concrete, precast concrete and other building materials from recycled rail ballast. Holcim says that the acquisition advances its own aim of recycling 10Mt of construction-demolition materials (CDM) in 2024. In 2023, Land Recovery recycled 300,000t of CDM. It employs 85 people across the UK.
French police arrest 17 suspects in connection with attack on Lafarge France’s Val-de-Reuil concrete plant
10 April 2024France: Police have detained 17 suspected vandals in connection with the 10 December 2023 invasion of Lafarge France’s Val-de-Reuil concrete plant in Normandy. The attack resulted in €450,000-worth of damage. The L'Echo Républicain newspaper has reported that invaders attacked equipment with expanding foam, poured concrete into water outlets, broke windows and damaged cement bags. Spray-paint graffiti left at the site reads ‘Tomorrow will be without concrete or will not be,’ ‘Lafarge terrorist’ and ‘Concrete kills,’ and also compares concrete suppliers to drug dealers. Further tags include the logo of Soulèvements de la Terre (‘Earth Uprisings’), a nation-wide climate protest organisation. The arrest of suspects on 9 April 2024 led to a 200 people-strong protest for their release.
Soulèvements de la Terre had warned of planned actions affecting Lafarge France sites on 9 - 12 December 2023. It named the Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou concrete plant in Pays de la Loire, over 200km away from the Val-de-Reuil concrete plant, as a site for a ‘gathering.’
In response to the warning, Lafarge France said on 8 December 2023 “The people who intend to respond to this call for mobilisation against our sites have the wrong target. Of all industrial sectors, ours is moving the fastest and strongest in favour of the climate. Moreover, we are useful to society. The country's needs for housing, public facilities and infrastructure are immense, and concrete represents the best solution to meet them.”