Tánaiste Leo Varadkar of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment met with the team in Ecocem France and Ecocem Ireland Ltd, Managing Director, Susan McGarry today as part of his three-day trade mission to France. Ecocem France has a joint venture in France with French steelmaker ArcelorMittal, ensuring a sustainable long term agreement to source GGBS (ground–granulated blast furnace slag), a by-product of the steel industry, utilised by Ecocem to manufacture Ecocem cement.
Speaking about the trade mission, An Tánaiste said: “Sustainability must be a priority for all of us, as we decarbonise our economies and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Ecocem is a pioneer in this field, developing, manufacturing, and supplying the lowest carbon cement ever used in Europe at scale. Ecocem’s ambitious growth and investment targets in France are to be commended. Having established two French manufacturing facilities in Fos-sur-Mer and Dunkirk, co-founded the MC²E laboratory in partnership with INSA Toulouse and Paris Saclay, and opened its centre of excellence in Champlin, Ecocem’s commitment to France serves as an example for other Irish businesses looking to expand into this attractive market.”
Esker Readymix collaborated with Ecocem in using GGBS to deliver stronger concrete for specifically testing (and unpleasant) conditions. Based in Athenry, Co. Galway, Esker Readymix has been in operation since 1950 and today — in addition to ready-mix concrete — the company produces a range of building blocks, stone, and precast products.
Within Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII-Structures is responsible for the management of approximately 3,500 national road structures. Of these, about 800 are masonry arches, 1,000 are reinforced concrete boxes or culverts while the rest are primarily concrete bridges.
