Brazil: A new study has found that ready-mix concrete is more cost-effective than concrete mixed on construction sites in Brazil. Ready-mix concrete costs US$69.2 – 118/m³, while mix-on-site concrete costs US$54.6 – 100/m³. However, the findings showed that costs arising from material loss, mix design errors, hardened leftovers, increased reworking times and reduced productivity when mixing concrete on site more than exceeded the difference in prices for projects above 20m³ in total concrete consumption.

In one investigation completed under the study, builders poured a 27m³ slab of concrete in one hour using ready-mixed concrete, and another in 12 hours using mix-on-site concrete, Petróleo e Gás News has reported.

Ukraine: The International Finance Corporation has estimated that Ukraine requires US$3.86bn of investments in ‘advanced building materials’ to meet demand during its eventual full reconstruction following the on-going Russian invasion. This is 0.7% of a projected US$500bn over a decade of rebuilding.

Ukraine Business News has reported that the nation requires an additional 6Mm²/yr of precast concrete (projected costs: US$1.5bn), 8Mt/yr of geopolymers (US$1.36bn), 700,000t/yr of basalt wool (US$420m), 100,000t of basalt reinforcement (US$420m), 1Mm³/yr of autoclaved aerated concrete (US$100m), 8Mm²/yr of glazing (US$72m), US$50m of 3D printing construction equipment and 500,000t/yr of hemp concrete (US$20m). All this would generate an estimated 17,000 new jobs.

Uzbekistan: The government will mandate the processing or disposal of all construction and demolition materials (CDM) generated nationally from 1 June 2026. Daryo News has reported that the incoming law will require construction and demolition firms to complete design documentation for their projects to assess expected volumes of CDM and to designate handling plans. The Ecology Committee, the State Environmental Supervision Inspectorate and the Supervision Inspectorate in the Field of Technical Regulation will monitor compliance.

Uzbek building materials production has a projected value of US$5.2bn for 2025, with US$3.5bn of additional on-going or planned projects.

UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac will launch five electric heavy goods vehicles to transport cement, precast concrete blocks, aggregates and asphalt in London and South East England in early 2026. Transport and Energy News has reported that DAF Trucks and Renault Trucks will supply the vehicles. Tarmac has partnered with Innovate UK for the initiative, which will receive a portion of €227m of Department of Transport funding under the Zero-Emission HGV and Infrastructure Development programme. Tarmac and charging partner Voltempo will build a new ‘London-wide’ electric vehicle (EV) charging network in support of the fleet.

Voltempo founder Michael Boxwell said "Tarmac's leadership and willingness to invest in electric HGVs and charging network infrastructure, including Voltempo's ultra-rapid HyperCharger MCS, is exactly the kind of ambition we need to drive real change across the sector. We're proud to have Tarmac as a founding partner in the eFreight 2030 EV consortium and look forward to working together to accelerate the transition to zero-emission road freight."