Global Concrete News

Canada: Cellular concrete products company Cematrix has closed US$4.45m in new supply deals since July 2024, GlobeNewswire has reported. The contracts all cover projects in North America, most of which are scheduled for completion later in 2024.

President and CEO Jeff Kendrick said “With the addition of these new contracts, net of sales to the end of September 2024, our current backlog now stands at US$53.6m."

US: Bagged concrete and cement mixes producer Quikrete has submitted an acquisition offer to cement, concrete and aggregates company Summit Materials. Summit Materials is reportedly valued at over US$7bn. The company confirmed to Reuters that its board is in initial discussions over a non-binding acquisition proposal.

Summit Materials combined its business with Cementos Argos subsidiary Argos USA in January 2024.

Greece: Titan Cement Group subsidiary Interbeton has launched Velter, a circular, 30% reduced-CO₂ ready-mix concrete. The product comes with a Type III environmental product declaration from Eurocert.

Director of concrete operations Christoforos Voulgaris said "This new product line gives engineers, architects, builders and investors the opportunity to differentiate their projects with improved durability and a meaningful contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change.”

Canada: Climate technology company CarbonCure Technologies has announced that it has ‘saved’ over 500,000t of CO₂ across 7.5m truckloads of concrete. CarbonCure uses a technology that injects captured CO₂ into fresh concrete, which is mineralised and permanently stored, and which enables concrete producers to reduce cement usage while maintaining strength. The solution integrates into existing concrete plant operations, allowing for both environmental benefits via a reduced CO₂ footprint and cost savings through reduced cement consumption, according to the company. The company also claims that for every 1t of CO₂ that is mineralised in ready mix concrete, another 50t of CO₂ is ‘avoided’ by reducing emissions from cement adjustments.

CEO of CarbonCure Technologies Rob Niven said “This milestone reflects the strong sustainability leadership of CarbonCure’s innovative concrete producer partners. Together, we are proving that reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is not just a goal for the future — it can happen, and it is happening, today at scale.”

US: A study by Resource Recycling Systems found that 33% of construction and demolition materials (CDM) entering landfill in Summit County, Colorado, could be effectively diverted into CDM recycling. Concrete and aggregates were among the 11 materials included in the study. Local press has reported that county authorities aim to reuse or recycle 25% of CDM generated locally by 2028, and 50% by 2035. Landfill capacity will run out in 2078.

CDM constituted 30% of Summit County’s landfill intake during the study period.