How locally sourced mineral co-products contribute to more sustainable cement formulations
At Imerys, our aim is to support our customers in achieving their sustainability ambitions. We do this by providing resources, expertise, and innovative solutions that help them address the most pressing environmental challenges in the industries we serve.
Learn how our customer, Eco Material Technologies, is transforming its sustainability ambitions into reality by using locally sourced Imerys’ perlite co-products, avoiding imports and reducing logistics emissions. Grant Quasha, President of Eco Material Technologies, shares how partnerships help rethink cement production and build a more sustainable future.
Turning perlite co-products into a resource for sustainable construction
Industries worldwide face the challenge of reducing their environmental impact, especially in sectors like construction, where traditional cement production alone represents approximately 8% of global Greenhouse Gas emissions. Eco Material Technologies, North America's leader in sustainable cement alternatives, is turning ambition into action by tackling one of the toughest challenges in construction: reducing cement’s environmental footprint. Imerys supports this effort by providing reliable access to perlite co-products, which are used as part of Eco Material Technologies’ innovative cement formulations, helping to improve material efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and avoid the carbon-intensive processes linked to traditional cement production.
Eco Material Technologies ambitious goal is to double the capacity of sustainable solutions to all major metropolitan areas in the United States. To achieve these goals, Eco Material Technologies needed reliable access to alternative raw materials . Imerys provides perlite co-products that are now used in Eco Material Technologies’s proprietary cement formulation—boosting material efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Grant Quasha, President of Eco Material Technologies, says the decision to work with Imerys was straightforward: “They provide the scale, reliability, and local presence we need. Their perlite co-products, which would otherwise be stockpiled, are sourced locally and used as part of our proprietary cement formulations, helping us deliver high-performance solutions with clear environmental and economic benefits.”
Eco Material Technologies has committed to the long term, recently inaugurating a new state-of-the-art facility near Imerys' mine in Lakeview, Southern Oregon (USA), reducing logistics costs and environmental impact. Specifically tailored to handle Imerys’ perlite, the facility ensures a steady long-term supply, reflecting trust and cooperation built over years of dialogue and shared ambitions.
"Our industries are logistics-intensive, making it essential to minimize transportation costs and associated emissions," Quasha explains. "Building close to Imerys’ facility optimizes logistics efficiency, demonstrating exactly the kind of collaborative and practical partnership we value, where both environmental stewardship and business performance thrive."
The Southern Oregon facility mainly serves markets along the West Coast, from Portland to San Francisco and throughout California. By using locally sourced perlite co-products from Imerys, Eco Material Technologies’s sustainable cement solutions reduce the need for imported materials, primarily from Asia, shortening supply chains and lowering the carbon footprint of transport.
"Together with Imerys, we enhance local supply chain stability, reduce reliance on imports, and meet the growing demand for sustainable construction materials," Quasha notes. "This approach strengthens the local economy, mitigates geopolitical risks related to imports, and amplifies our collective positive environmental impact."
A model for future sustainable partnerships
Eco Material Technologies’s approach shows how companies and their suppliers can scale sustainability by aligning environmental goals with business priorities.
Our journey with Imerys shows that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive, they reinforce each other. If you deliver first on performance, cost competitiveness, and reliability, integrating significant environmental benefits becomes an advantage, not a compromise. I encourage other industry leaders to rethink their models and embrace partnerships that transform environmental challenges into powerful opportunities.
Imerys minerals are found in over thirty industrial sectors, serving as essential ingredients in a broad range of applications—from cosmetics and construction to energy transition initiatives. In these fields, regulations and client expectations are increasingly stringent regarding environmental protection and health standards. Our goal is to help our clients get the most out of our solutions by enhancing their positive contributions to society and responsibly managing any potential negative effects throughout their entire life cycle.
Imerys has received a sustainability award from Saint-Gobain UK, recognizing its work to help customers reduce the carbon footprint of construction materials through innovation, technical expertise and collaboration.
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