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Toxic toys, contraband cigarettes and old sunglasses are among the waste products being burnt to manufacture cement by Holcim, Bloomberg reports. Holcim - the world's largest cement manufacturer - is increasing its use of waste in place of coal to heat cement kilns as a means of cutting costs. Holcim sites from India to Vietnam are now using waste in this way, the news service reports.

A new form of green cement developed in France has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete by as much as 40 per cent.

Startup company Solidia Technologies and the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have partnered to accelerate the development of cement that can reduce the carbon footprint of concrete by up to 70 percent.

Canada's CarbonCure Technologies uses carbon dioxide produced during the cement-making process to fill tiny voids in concrete blocks. As a result, the block absorbs less water, is 20% stronger and more sustainable, according to this article. Builders can use the product to help set them apart from competitors and can "reduce the cost of their production by harnessing the material benefits of CO2, such as high early strength, lower water absorption, and other secondary benefits," says Robert Niven, the company's founder

By slightly altering the quantities of materials used, scientists from MIT have uncovered a new method of concrete mixing that could reduce these emissions by more than half.

The Climate Group-led RE100 program has partnered with Rocky Mountain Institute's Business Renewables Center to increase renewable demand, find renewable opportunities, and provide the means to bridge the two through tools and knowledge.

New York cements its position as a national renewable energy leader today with a New York Public Service Commission (PSC) order requiring that 50 percent of the state's electricity must from clean, renewable sources like solar and wind power by 2030.

The days of conventional concrete and carbon-intensive building materials are waning. Along with promising advancements such as concrete made from biofuel waste, carbonate rock made from captured CO2 emissions, and a smart gypsum board that can help regulate room temperatures, three recent innovations in material development illustrate the intensifying search for more sustainable materials - from city streets to cement production plants

The 14 companies that issued a joint statement Wednesday endorsing international negotiations include leaders from some of the world's most carbon-intensive industries: coal miners BHP Billiton Plc and Rio Tinto Plc; oil majors Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc; aluminum producer Alcoa Inc.; and the planet's biggest cement-maker, LarfargeHolcim Ltd

China recently pledged to max out its carbon emissions by 2030 -- but some researchers say the country's carbon output might already have peaked. "We're reaching a point in much of China where the cities have been built, the roads have been built, a lot of the demand for cement and steel is essentially slowing," explained energy researcher Joanna Lewis.

Most people know that properly inflated tires can improve a vehicle's fuel efficiency, but did you know that properly maintained roadways can improve fuel efficiency across an entire pavement network?