At its Saint-Pierre-la-Cour cement facility, Holcim has opened what it claims is the first calcined clay unit in Europe. Up to 0.5Mt/yr of items in the ECOPlanet range can be produced on the production line using the company's proximA Tech method. The production process is "virtually carbon free and ultra-efficient" thanks to the unit's usage of waste heat recovery systems and alternative fuels made entirely of biomass.

"The launching of the first calcined clay cement production line in Europe is another milestone in our quest to decarbonize building," stated Miljan Gutovic, Region Head for Europe at Holcim. By scaling up our calcined clay cements by 2025, we will improve our ECOPlanet line of low-carbon cement and enable large-scale low-carbon construction.

The French government provided financial support for the improvement project as part of the "France Relance" programme, which invests in significant energy efficiency and decarbonization projects.