2016 in review: Cement Business

2016 was a year of global expansion in the cement industry. Older markets have consolidated and markets such as Asia Pacific and Africa have emerged. The increasing demand in the housing sector has made the industry a step forward.

Environmental regulations impacting global cement industry

The cement industry has also had to adapt to stricter environmental regulation, especially in developing markets, where governments are now trying to upgrade environmental restrictions to be more in line with those in developed markets.

China amended the country's Environmental Protection Law (EPL) for the first time in almost 25 years. These amendments impose higher penalties for polluters and force industries, like steel, coal and cement, considered the main polluters, to cut capacity. One of the primary aim mentioned in China's 13th five-year plan which was announced in 2016, was reduction of emissions from coal burning industries. These regulations took shape due to the snowballing overcapacity in coal burning sectors such as steel and cement.
Tightening regulations come with the unescapable reality of some major cement plants having to shut down. Authorities of Tangshan, a major industrial city in northern Hebei province of China announced that all cement plants and coal-fired power plants that did not reach the minimum emission standards for four months from November will be shut-down.

You can read the rest of the article in CemWeek Magazine Issue 36