Europe: In 2023, 29.7Mt of slag entered the built environment in building materials in the EU and the UK. 20.3Mt (68%) of the slag was granulated blast furnace slag, of which 18.3Mt (90%) was ground for use in cement production, with the other 2Mt (10%) serving as aggregates. The remaining 9.4Mt of the slag was steelwork slag, of which 600,000t (6.4%) was used in cement and concrete production, with the rest used for roadbuilding.

Between 2000 and 2023, slag substituted for 752Mt of limestone, clay and sand in clinker production and for 405Mt of aggregates across the EU and UK construction sectors.

Thomas Reiche, chair of the European slag association EuroSlag and managing director of the FEhS Building Materials Institute, said "Despite the tensions on the European steel market, ferrous slags were once again able to make an important contribution to resource conservation, climate protection and the circular economy in 2023."

Sweden: Peab has won a contract to build the new Gothenburg Grand Central station for US$870m. The construction firm will integrate its Eco-Betong reduced-CO₂ concrete in the building. MarketLine News has reported that the project is set to begin immediately, with the station opening progressively up to early-mid 2027.

Peab’s West regional head Stellan Haraldsson said "The new station building will serve passengers from all of western Sweden and is a testament to our commitment to sustainable community building.”

Canada: US-based Command Alkon has acquired concrete digitisation specialist Marcotte Systems. Command Alkon says that the acquisition will accelerate its deployment of cloud applications and automation software.

Marcotte Systems CEO Joel Bardier said "Joining forces with Command Alkon marks a significant milestone, not only for our company, but for the heavy building materials industry as a whole as it will drive the next generation of fully automated plant solutions.”

Command Alkon CEO Martin Willoughby said "Combining Marcotte’s plant automation solutions with Command Alkon’s Command Cloud platform will deliver enhanced value to customers, supporting their efficiency and sustainability goals."

Australia: Climate Tech Cement and Polevine are due to showcase a newly developed reduced-CO₂ geopolymer concrete in a ‘major infrastructure project’ in Western Australia. Proactive News has reported that the partners will supply backing blocks for the project later in July 2024.

The joint venture aims to develop geopolymer concrete formulations to achieve strengths of 10MPa, 20MPa, 30MPa and 40MPa and to assess their performance and costs.