Holcim caught the cement world's attention this week when it announced the launch of a major low carbon cement project in Europe. The French cement plant of Saint-Pierre-la-Cour is the location of the project that will use the company's proprietary ProximaTech technology to produce ECOPlanet cement, which is a calcined clay cement, with a 50 per cent lower CO2 footprint than OPC.
The development of the ECOPlanet cement in France was given an important boost after the French government committed to financially support the implementation of the proprietary calcined clay technology through the ‘France Reliance’ scheme in 2021. Holcim reported in its 2021 annual report that it is investing EUR30m in proprietary calcined clay technology to advance green cement production in France. First produced locally from the La Malle plant, ECOPlanet emits 34 per cent less CO2/t of cement compared to the local market standard cement production. Holcim estimates 76,000t of CO2 will be saved compared to using ordinary Portland cement (OPC).
Cement produced at the Saint-Pierre-La-Cour cement plant will combine the low carbon advantages of calcined clay with the low carbon use of biomass alternative fuels and waste heat recovery to further reduce CO2 emissions. The plant aims to produce 0.5Mta of ECOPlanet cement. Importantly, Holcim claims the cement produced does not compromise on performance and can be used in applications from housing to infrastructure projects.
Holcim's European Region head, Miljan Gutovic, stated: "We are scaling up our calcined clay cements across all regions by 2025, to advance our ECOPlanet range of low-carbon cement, making low-carbon construction possible at scale."
Holcim announced in its 2022 Climate Report that five calcined clay projects are currently being implemented by the company in France, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Adding roofing subsidiaries
While calcined clay cement is taking hold in Europe, Holcim continues to decisively reshape its business portfolio in line with its transformation strategy, which prioritises investment in sustainable building solutions, which it believes will be more profitable than cement. The multinational has moved stealthily to broaden its building material base, with acquisitions like roofing company FDT Flachdach Technologie GmbH in Europe, and with the US roofing market also proving an attractive region to increase synergies with the acquisition of Duro-Last. This builds on the acquisition of Maryland Paper, a fibreglass mat manufacturer last month, delivering more value for its US roofing customers.
Divest and reinvest
Meanwhile, the group has keenly shed its less profitable businesses in other parts of the world. Having already divested its ACC and Ambuja Cements subsidiaries in India to the Adani Group for US$6.4bn in September 2022, Holcim can breath a sign of relief that the deal passed before the Adani stock rout, which would have derailed the deal. Holcim has also seen its Russian assets rebranded as CEMENTUM this month, as it looks to disassociate the Holcim brand with the Russian cement market.
2022 results and transformation
This week has also seen the reporting of the group's 2022 results which saw a record performance. Net sales reach CHF29,189m (US$31.2m) for 2022 were up +12.9 per cent on a LfL basis compared to the prior year. The increase was driven by the fast expansion of the Solutions & Products division, which grew by 54 per cent compared to the prior year. Holcim claims that it is making strong progress on its portfolio transformation with 23 merger and acquisition transactions in the year with six acquisitions in Solutions & Products, 13 bolt-ons acquisitions in aggregates and ready-mix concrete, and four divestments, notably in India and Brazil.
Jan Jenisch, Holcim CEO, concluded: "I look forward to another year of continued profitable growth and fast-paced transformation, to become the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions."