Non-metallic mineral products
The industry of non-metallic mineral products is made up of the cement, ceramics, glass and lime sectors. These are all traditional, well-established manufacturing sectors characterised by the transformation of naturally occurring minerals such as limestone, silica, and clays, through an energy‑intensive process.
Their products are used in a wide range of applications, from entirely in the construction industry in the case of cement, bricks & roof tiles, wall & floor tiles, sanitaryware and some glass products, through to consumer products like tableware and decorative goods. The operators in the industry range from global players as in the cement, flat, container and fibre glass, bricks, and to a certain extent in the lime sector, to SMEs as in most sectors of the ceramics industry and parts of the lime industry.
Production in the sectors was worth something in the region of € 88.6 billions in 2006 (EU 25 for ceramics, EU 27 for the others). This represented about 5.2% of total manufacturing value added in EU 27 in 2006. Together it is estimated that the sectors employed some 1 035 500 people, just over 3% of total manufacturing employment in 2006. Until the financial crisis hit, production was on an overall slight upwards trend, and employment was on a steady downwards trend.
International trade plays a varying role depending on sub‑sector. Some 12% of all output is traded within the EU, but this falls to 8% extra‑EU. Because all four sectors are energy intensive, key policy areas are energy and environment, and they are all within the scope of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme as well as other important legislation such as the Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), as well as REACH.
