A special March month, with rains, the coincidence of Holy Week and a scarce activity in public works as a consequence of the political context has led the Cement Demand Index (IDC) in Catalonia to a fall of 38% with respect to the same month of 2017. This specific result breaks with almost 4 years (since August 2014) of consecutive monthly increases, and it reduces the annual increase in consumption to only 7.6%. The data, extracted from the Cement Barometer, would place the consumption of the last mobile year in a volume of around 1.8 million tons, with an accumulated in the first quarter of 2018 of 0.4 million tons, a 9, 2% lower than the same period of 2017.
In parallel, production has also decreased in Catalan factories, with a fall of 28% compared to March 2017, which puts the average growth of the last 12 months at 14%, with an estimated absolute value of 3 million euros. tons.
In order to face the situation, and with a view to further deepening its Sustainability policies, the 4 manufacturing companies in Catalonia grouped in Ciment Català have joined, this May, the Observatory of the Circular Economy of Catalonia. This space, promoted by the Generalitat, responds to the clear and determined commitment to improve the competitiveness of the economy, to face the challenge of limiting existing resources and the need to overcome the traditional linear economic system established with the industrial revolution. Thus, it promotes actions to deploy and integrate into society a new model based on the efficiency of resources and the reduction of environmental risks. The Catalan cement factories bring to this new body of reference their accumulated experience in the material and energy recovery of waste in the last 15 years.