Cement production: raw material demand and supply situation
Recently, the Swiss government published the report on Switzerland's supply of domestic cement raw materials. This raw material security report is part of the "Green Economy" action plan. It shows the current consumption and supply status of cement raw materials in Switzerland and makes an estimate of short- to medium-term cement demand in a national context.
Around 5 million tons of cement are required annually in Switzerland for the realization and maintenance of construction and infrastructure projects. In 2019, 86% of this consumption was covered by the six Swiss cement plants and 14% by imports.
A stable cement supply is primarily ensured by long-term secure access to the primary raw materials lime and marl. In the case of some cement plants, this access is partly restricted due to progressive mining, because of increasing conflicts of objectives with conflicting protection and land use interests, and because of resistance to the raw material mining expansion projects applied for.
Substitution with secondary raw materials
The Raw Material Security Report presents a forecast for the national cement supply with domestic cement raw materials up to the year 2030. This indicates a possible decline in domestic cement production from 2024 if the requested quarry expansion projects specified in the cantonal structure plans cannot be approved.
The substitution of primary raw materials by secondary raw materials represents an important aspect of securing Switzerland's supply of raw materials and closing material cycles. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) is working with research and industry to find solutions and directions for substituting primary raw materials with secondary raw materials. However, despite technological developments, only a small proportion of the primary raw materials for cement can be substituted to date. Technologies for the substitution of cement in concrete through to cement-free concrete are currently in the development phase.
A national overview is needed
The competence for spatial coordination and approval of mining projects lies primarily with the cantons and municipalities. However, the report's accompanying group considers it useful to also consider significant and mineable raw material deposits for the production of cement from a national supply perspective. For this purpose, corresponding raw material deposits are to be localized, evaluated from a raw material geological point of view and presented in a national overview. This should serve as a basis for authorities and raw material producers in the planning of mining projects and support them in fulfilling their planning tasks.
The report was produced under the leadership of swisstopo's Swiss Geological Survey in close cooperation with the Bafu and an accompanying group consisting of various federal offices, cantonal representatives (VD, AG), industry associations (cemsuisse, arv, VSH), the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the Swiss Georesources Group of the ETHZ, the Swiss Landscape Conservation Foundation and the Swiss Mineral Resources Network (Nero's).
Press release federal government
