Holcim Invests Over US$500 Million in Mexico

Holcim Mexico has invested more than US$500 million over the past five years as part of a strategy focused on operational efficiency, decarbonization, innovation and the development of circular-economy solutions.

The investment is strengthening the company’s capabilities to manage and recover waste while integrating alternative resources into cement and concrete production. Through its Geocycle business, Holcim operates seven facilities across Mexico and manages more than 600,000 metric tons of waste annually.

Geocycle uses thermal co-processing to convert certain non-recyclable waste streams into alternative fuels for cement manufacturing, while selected materials can also replace conventional raw materials. The approach is designed to reduce landfill disposal and lower the industry's reliance on fossil fuels and virgin resources.

Holcim is also expanding its circular-economy strategy through ECOCycle technology, which processes construction and demolition waste. At facilities in the Valley of Mexico, recycled aggregates can be incorporated into new concrete, helping reduce the demand for newly extracted materials.

One of the company’s latest projects is a new facility in Tecomán, Colima, developed with an investment of nearly $200 million pesos. The infrastructure will process more than 45,000 metric tons of sugarcane biomass annually, converting agricultural waste into an alternative energy source for cement production.

The project is expected to prevent approximately 55,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions each year while addressing the disposal challenges associated with sugarcane bagasse.

Holcim’s investments come as Mexico faces a significant waste-management challenge. The country generates more than 50 million metric tons of municipal solid waste annually, while only about 5% receives some form of treatment, according to figures from Mexico’s Environment Ministry cited during a recent sustainability forum.

For Holcim, expanding waste recovery and material recycling represents an opportunity to connect industrial production with resource efficiency and decarbonization. The company’s strategy combines Geocycle’s waste-to-resource model with ECOCycle’s recovery of construction materials, creating a broader circular-economy platform for Mexico’s construction sector.