Everything is sustainable?

Dear Readers, no matter where you look and what is discussed, climate change is always on the agenda lately ... and fortunately this topic is now becoming more and more related to other far-reaching changes and crises. In November, the first in an ongoing series of conferences on the topic, CarbonZero Global Conference and Exhibition, aimed at cement producers, infrastructure and construction, mining, was held in Lisbon (we will report on it in ZKG 1-2023). This issue also deals with the future viability of the building materials industry, especially the cement industry. The article “Availability of cement raw materials” by Dr. Joachim Harder provides a review of the availability of cement raw materials and of the latest trends (p. 26).

How a cement company wants to achieve climate neutrality is described in the article “On the road to the climate-neutral company”. Thorsten Hahn, CEO, Holcim (Deutschland) GmbH, describes the cement group’s path to an overall reduction of its carbon footprint, both in production and in downstream products (p. 40). “The transformation in the industry is gaining speed and should be regarded not as an annoying obligation but rather as an exciting challenge and a great opportunity,” Hahn summarizes Holcim’s path.

Many other articles in this issue also touch on the subject of sustainability.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue and I wish you a contemplative Christmas time

Dr. Petra Strunk
Editor-in-Chief