Croatia: Cementing the Pledge to Decarbonise Production

Holcim Croatia is a large cement company with more than 90 years of tradition in operating stone quarries and cement industry. The company operates in three business segments: cement, concrete and aggregates, serving both Croatian and regional markets. Holcim Croatia has now taken its success further. With funds from Norway, they are developing a new cement type with lower carbon impact.

The aim of the project is to increase competitiveness and reduce CO2 emissions. A new mineral components storage and transportation system gives the company a stronger position in the market. The market demand for cement types with lower clinker factor is likely to continue to rise due to the increased complexity of concrete applications required and steady decarbonisation and circular economy targets.

A Contribution to the EU Green Deal Targets

The EU encourages the decarbonisation of Europe by 2050, and the aim requires investments in technologies that reduce CO2 emissions and the carbon footprint. The EU Green Deal also provides for better management according to the hierarchy of waste management, which encourages the use of waste or by-products of industrial processes in the creation and production of new products. This is made possible by the European standard for cement production, which is also applied in Croatia. Holcim Croatia was one of the founders of Sustainable Development Pledge in Croatia (1997), and as a part of the Holcim Group they have signed the Green Deal pledge of decarbonisation of their business by 2030.

The investments financed by the Norway Grants project will lead to a 30% decrease of CO2 and a reduction of fugitive air dust both in the production area of Holcim and the surrounding region. The long-term plan is to produce high strength cement types with lower clinker factor and more environmentally friendly products. New markets segments for the new cement types are used in aggressive environments like saltwater, harbour and sea installation as well as high stress conditions like windmills. The ambition is to lead the industry in reducing carbon emissions and shifting towards low-carbon construction.

Read More

The project was recently featured on the online cover page of the top Croatian media news portal – Jutarnji list. Read about it here.

Read more about the project here.

Business Development and Innovation Croatia

The project is supported by Norway through the Norway Grants. See more under the Business Development and Innovation Programme in Croatia.