Saudi Arabia: Al Kifah Ready-Mix & Blocks (KRB) has announced the upcoming launch of its ConGreen reduced-CO₂ concrete products range at the Big 5 Saudi construction summit on 28 – 31 March 2022. ConGreen concretes replace clinker with lower-carbon materials such as pozzolan and use Canada-based Carbon Cure Technologies’ embedded recycled CO₂ technology to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 30% compared to conventional Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concretes. In addition to this, KRB says that ConGreen concretes also provide improved workability and pumpability properties, as well as being highly durable, with high passing and finishability. They have very low rapid chloride permeability (RCP), water absorption and water permeability properties and low heat of hydration.

General Manager Nigel Harries said “We are committed to driving energy efficiency and addressing the global emission challenges. We aim to help build a better community and environment-friendly facilities by producing high-quality concrete, such as ConGreen, that has a reduced environmental impact and is characterised by its high performance, durability and sustainability, with a low carbon footprint as compared with standard concrete.”

UK: Breedon Group’s sales revenue grew by 33% to Euro1.48bn in 2021 from Euro1.11bn in 2020. Its statutory earnings before interest and taxation more than doubled to Euro153m from Euro74m. Cement and concrete sales volumes increased by 20% to 2.4Mt and 23% to 3.2Mm3 respectively. The group described 2021 as an ‘exceptional’ year for its cement business due to pent-up demand following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“2021 was a record year for Breedon. We navigated the second year of the pandemic successfully, supplied our customers with more materials than at any point in our history and fully integrated the Cemex assets,” said chief executive officer Rob Wood.

Mexico: The Mexican Ready-Mix Concrete Industry Association (AMIC) says that European natural gas shortages and disruptions to the supply of oil, chemicals and other goods as a result of the conflict in Ukraine may cause a rise in the cost of global cement production.

AMIC president Ana Laura Burciaga said "Having a conflict that delays the arrival of these products can make them more expensive because they would have to be obtained from more expensive sources due to shortages.” Burciaga continued "The area where the conflict is taking place was a major supplier of gas and we are concerned that this will have repercussions, especially in terms of a price increase when we have just suffered a very significant one of a magnitude we had not seen for many years."