The price of Calcium Carbonate in Europe remained stable, bolstered by strong production capacity and well-maintained logistics systems during the first half of January 2025. Despite brief port disruptions during the holiday period, the supply chain for Calcium Carbonate faced minimal disruptions, with operations quickly returning to normal. The availability of the material remained unaffected, ensuring steady supply across industries.

The demand for industrial-grade Calcium Carbonate remained stable during this period, supported by key sectors such as plastics, paints, and construction. While the construction industry continued to experience a downturn in certain segments, the steady demand from other industrial applications helped maintain a consistent market for Calcium Carbonate. Economic factors, such as ongoing industrial production and demand for plastic products, played a role in stabilizing the market. Although competition from alternative materials existed, its impact on Calcium Carbonate demand was minimal.

In the Netherlands, construction activity faced a mixed outlook. The housing market saw increases in both home sales and prices, driven by a combination of favorable market sentiment, lower mortgage rates, and rising incomes. However, rising home prices posed affordability challenges, which were expected to intensify in 2025, worsening the ongoing housing shortage. While price pressures in the residential sector were expected to rise, other construction sectors experienced heightened challenges such as worsened supply chain delays. These ongoing issues underscored the need for reliable materials like Calcium Carbonate to support infrastructure and housing projects.

Overall, the European construction sector showed signs of gradual recovery after a prolonged period of decline. Activity in infrastructure construction remained resilient, with investments in energy grids, transport, and other public projects expected to grow. In addition to infrastructure, demand for residential and office construction was poised for recovery, driven by continued urbanization, the need for more affordable housing, and rising interest in sustainable, energy-efficient office spaces. While construction activity in some countries remained subdued, others, such as the Netherlands, showed stronger growth potential, buoyed by demand and opportunities for Calcium Carbonate price increase.

The construction industry’s recovery was also supported by ongoing efforts to modernize and digitalize processes. The new Construction Products Regulation, which took effect in January 2025, was expected to simplify the sale of construction products across the EU, promote sustainability, and boost the sector’s competitiveness. Key components of this regulation, such as Digital Product Passports, were designed to provide essential information about materials, including performance data, safety, and carbon footprint, which would help guide material selection in favor of sustainability and efficiency.

Looking ahead, while the construction sector in Europe continued to face challenges like labor shortages and rising material costs, the outlook for both the sector and the Calcium Carbonate market remained positive. With growing demand for housing, infrastructure, and office construction, the need for Calcium Carbonate was expected to remain strong. As supply chains normalized and economic conditions improved, the demand for Calcium Carbonate was projected to rise steadily throughout 2025.