Spain: Bio-Ecomatter, a company based in Extremadura, has launched a new sustainable mortar product without cement or sand, using agro-industrial waste as raw material. This product was developed by founders Carmen Tristancho and Lorena Rodríguez, along with Juanjo Tejado and Marisa Carmona from the Institute of Ornamental Rocks and Building Materials.

Bio-Ecomatter's product composition remains confidential. Beyond reducing reliance on traditional materials like cement, it promotes environmental sustainability by utilising agro-industrial waste. Carmen Tristancho, who heads the innovation department at an environmental engineering firm in Badajoz and co-created the product, revealed that the mortar includes hydraulic lime and agro-industrial waste. The mortar reportedly has a 40% higher performance than standard mortar and is half the density. It has the same texture and workability as conventional mortar, with a formula that minimises carbon emissions and lessens reliance on non-renewable raw materials.

The project, while not aiming to replace traditional mortar, introduces alternative sustainable construction methods. Bio-Ecomatter's product won the sustainable construction award from Metabuilding, an EU-funded project supporting SMEs in the construction sector. Tristancho reveals they are also working on projects using recycled plastic moulds filled with their Bio-Ecomatter mortar.

Tristancho said "We are women in a field very centred on cement and sand, so introducing a new material in construction can be met with scepticism."

UK: Recycling company Scott Bros plans to install a plant to produce low carbon concrete made from filter cake at its soil wash plant in Middlesbrough. The company has been working with Teesside University on a series of trials to find by how much it can reduce the amount of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) it is using in its concrete mixes. It has been researching how to use filter cake, a fine-grained clay, which it produces as a by-product from its two ‘urban quarries’ which convert construction and excavation waste into sand and aggregate. The silicate clay-rich filter cake, which has cementitious properties, is currently used as low value BS-certified pond lining material or inert engineering fill.

The €715,000 research project is being funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s innovation agency.

Mexico: Holcim México has acquired the San Juan del Río and Balvanera ready-mix concrete plants in Queretaro from Grupo Comosa. The purchases raise the company’s ready-mix concrete production capacity by 120m³/hr and bring its total number of ready-mix concrete plants in Mexico to 72. As a result, Holcim México's production capacity in Queretaro will double to 432,000m³/yr. Grupo Comosa was the first ready-mix concrete producer in Mexico to obtain environmental product certification for its products, which Holcim México says aligns with its own focus on sustainability.

Director of concrete and aggregates Manuel Sirtori said "This expansion not only strengthens our production network, but also underlines our on-going commitment to sustainable construction and innovation."

World: Investment firm Insight Partners has forecast a composite annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% in the global green cement and concrete market between 2023 and 2030. This will result in a total value of US$990m in 2030, compared to US$806m in 2023. Regionally, the firm expects the sharpest growth in South and Central America, with a CAGR of 10% to US$7.9m in 2030. North America is expected to grow at a rate of 5.4% annually, to US$190m, followed by Europe, at 4.5% to US$226m, Middle East and Africa, at 2.9% to US$13m, and Asia-Pacific, at 1.4% to US$553m. In 2023, Asia-Pacific commanded a 61% share of the global market. Europe’s share was 20% and that of North America was 16%.