Ambuja Cements has joined the Alliance for Industry Decarbonisation (AFID)--a global alliance of companies across industries to accelerate the Net Zero transition in line with the Paris Agreement. Ambuja is the first cement manufacturer in the world to become a part of AFID. The company, operating in the cement industry, aims to achieve Net Zero by 2050. As part of its green energy commitment, it announced a plan to investRs 100 billion in renewable energy projects of 1 GW capacity and 376 MW of energy from the waste heat recovery system (WHRS), to power 60 per cent of its expanded capacity through green power by FY2028.Contact: Ambuja CementsTel: 022-40667000Website: www.ambujacement.comCement demand to grow by 7-8 percent, profitability remains strong: CRISIL reportThe demand for cement is expected to increase at a slower rate this fiscal year, by 7-8 percent to 475 million tonne (MT), following a compound annual growth rate of 11 percent from fiscal 2022 to 2024, according to CRISIL reports. However, cement companies' operating profitability is probably going to remain between Rs 975 and Rs 1,000 per tonne, which is higher than the decadal average of Rs 963 per tonne. Cement demand is expected to rebound in the second half of this fiscal year as construction activity gathers pace across infrastructure and housing segments post-monsoon. Healthy monsoon, improved labour availability and pick-up in government spending on infrastructure and housing should drive demand up 9-11 percent in the second half, taking the annual growth tally to 7-8 percent.  World’s biggest cement producers bet on green alternativeTwo of the world’s biggest cement producers, Holcim and CRH, are investing in a start-up attempting to decarbonise the cement production process. Cement and concrete are responsible for about eight percent of emissions, more than any other industrial sector. Holcim and CRH announced a $75 million investment into Sublime Systems. Sublime has developed an electrochemical method of cement production that avoids the process of heating up limestone with kilns powered by fossil fuels. Reducing cement emissions has long been a technological and economic challenge.Contact: HolcimWebsite: www.holcim.comShree Cement ties up with DPIIT to support start-ups in manufacturingShree Cement signed a MoU with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and through this partnership it aims to support product start-ups by offering infrastructure, mentorship, access to funding and market connections, guiding them from prototype development to potential international expansion. DPIIT Director Sumeet Jarangal said this partnership between Shree Cement and DPIIT will lay the foundation for a brighter future for early stage manufacturing start-ups and is a strong step in making India a manufacturing hub in the cement sector. The MoU aims to strengthen and support India's manufacturing ecosystem by encouraging product start-ups, innovators and entrepreneurs.Contact: Shree CementWebsite: www.shreecement.comCement prices will be hiked in H2FY25: CentrumCement demand is likely to grow by 5 per cent in FY25 and a few more rounds of price hike by companies is expected in the coming months, says a report by Centrum. Multiple factors like delayed government spending post general election, more than normal monsoon and flooding across multiple locations in the country has impacted the demand adversely. On a year on year basis, the cement demand has contracted by 5-6 per cent, but with recent capacity expansion a growth of 2.7 per cent is expected. Demand across the south, north and central region was weak with certain micro markets reporting over 20 percent YoY decline in demand.