Osman İlgen
Chairman of the Board
Chemical Admixtures Producers Association (KÜB)
As we look back on 2025, we can summarize the picture for our sector as one of “stabilization and qualified growth.” As you know, following the February 6 earthquakes, our country launched a major reconstruction mobilization. In 2025, housing and infrastructure projects in these areas were the primary factor sustaining demand for concrete—and, consequently, chemical admixtures. At the same time, tight monetary policies and limited access to financing slowed private-sector housing investments to some extent. As a result, the market progressed more through regional concentrations rather than aggressive volume growth.
On the cost side, 2025 proved to be a challenging year for all industry players. Price volatility in imported petrochemical raw materials, rising energy costs, and increased labor expenses led to significant production cost increases. Nevertheless, our members successfully maintained their supply chain resilience, ensuring the construction industry received the necessary materials without interruption. In summary, 2025 was a year in which efficiency and cost management were discussed more than volume.
We can now state clearly: cement and concrete chemical admixtures are no longer just auxiliary materials—they have become strategic components that determine the technical performance and sustainability profile of cement and concrete.
On-Site Performance and Quality Standardization
Admixture technologies allow multiple objectives to be managed simultaneously. When we talk about performance on-site, it is no longer just about initial consistency; it includes maintaining consistency, pumpability, workability, finishing ease, and ultimately achieving the target strength reliably. Especially in a period where binder systems are diversified, aggregate quality fluctuates, and fine material characteristics are increasingly variable, selecting the right admixture and dosing strategy becomes the key factor in standardizing quality.
From a sustainability perspective, admixture technologies have become a practical tool that delivers tangible results on-site. As the industry shifts toward low-clinker binders, precise balancing is required to maintain workability and strength development. Admixtures facilitate this balance by enabling the same performance with reduced binder consumption, ensuring stable quality with higher supplementary material content, reducing production waste, and minimizing corrective interventions on-site—all of which indirectly lower emissions. In short, 2025 was a year in which admixtures contributed to sustainability objectives not just in theory, but in practice.
Regarding durability, admixtures serve as a lever that strengthens service life considerations. When admixture solutions in areas such as impermeability, freeze-thaw performance, chloride resistance, shrinkage, and crack control are combined with the right design and proper application, they create an effect that protects not only the present but the entire service life of the structure. This is critical, as both “initial investment” cost and “life-cycle cost” are now in focus.
We can now state clearly: cement and concrete chemical admixtures are no longer just auxiliary materials—they have become strategic components that determine the technical performance and sustainability profile of cement and concrete.
The 2026 Agenda: Carbon and Data Management
The first key driver for 2026 will be carbon and data management. While carbon-focused trade and reporting frameworks are becoming more visible in Europe, we are also witnessing early signals of similar transformations in Türkiye. This process will affect not only cement producers but the entire value chain. Ready-mix producers are demanding more environmental data, project owners require more transparent reporting, and environmental performance is increasingly discussed in both public and private sector tenders.
The cement industry will increasingly rely on composite cements with reduced clinker content, incorporating supplementary materials such as calcined clay, fly ash, or slag, to lower carbon emissions. At this point, the R&D capabilities of the admixture sector will play a critical role. Our priority will be to develop polymer technologies that maintain the performance of these new eco-friendly cements at levels comparable to conventional Portland cement.
Additionally, 2026 will be the year of circular economy. The use of recycled aggregates from demolition waste in concrete will increase, and overcoming the technical challenges these materials present will rely on specialized admixtures developed by our industry.
Finally, digitalization and traceability will emerge as key trends in 2026. Topics such as dosing accuracy, automatic recording, real-time field feedback, and managing quality costs through data will be at the forefront.
At KÜB, we continue to emphasize that the admixture sector is not merely a supplier of products; it is an ecosystem that accelerates knowledge, standards, and quality integration on-site. By enhancing university-industry collaboration, we aim to promote proper product usage awareness throughout the sector. In 2026, KÜB will continue to be the construction industry’s partner in green transformation in Türkiye.
