Holcim starts calcined clay production in the Czech Republic

(CONNECT) Holcim has launched a new calcined clay production line in the Czech Republic to enable the supply of low-carbon ECOPlanet cement. The Zug-based building materials manufacturer has invested the equivalent of just under 40 million Swiss francs in the rail line that connects to the Čížkovice plant, representing Holcim’s “largest ever investment” in the Czech Republic. According to a company statement, the Ministry of the Environment’s modernization fund contributed 13 million Swiss francs of the total. 

The calcined clay is sourced from Holcim’s local quarry. By replacing the clinker cement additive in the kiln with this calcined clay, the new production line reduces the cement’s carbon footprint by about 30 per cent. According to Holcim, the facility will enable the supply of 580 000 tons of ECOPlanet low-carbon cement every year.

"This project is proof that Czech industry can be modern, competitive and environmentally responsible at the same time,” said Andrej Babiš, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. “This is exactly the kind of investment our country needs.”

Xavier Guesnu, Holcim Region Head Central and East Europe, described the commissioning of this new calcined clay line as an important step “to scale up next generation ECOPlanet low-carbon cement as an innovative solution to meet our customers’ most ambitious goals, as the leading partner for sustainable construction".

Holcim is expanding its production of calcined clay for sustainable construction worldwide. In 2023, it opened Europe’s first dedicated production line in Saint-Pierre-la-Cour, France. In 2025, a major production line was put into operation also in Guayaquil, Ecuador. ce/mm