Sustainable Building Materials Help Reduce Construction Industry's Carbon Footprint

By Siti Noor Afera Abu

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- There is a need for innovative building materials to be more environmentally friendly, as demand for low-cost and sustainable products in the construction industry has increased significantly.

CRT Manufacturing Sdn Bhd deputy managing director Huang Mei Si said the industry needs to take the initiative to reduce its carbon footprint and emissions, especially from concrete and steel manufacturing. 

He said that taking the required initiative would ensure that the nation’s targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 could be met.

“Building materials such as concrete have been used since ancient times and have proven to be durable, strong and affordable.

“However, its production methods raise environmental concerns due to high consumption of natural resources and carbon emissions associated with its key ingredient, cement,” she told Bernama at the sidelines of the International Construction Week 2023 (ICW 2023), hosted by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, today.

The ICW 2023 started today and continues until Nov 17.

Huang said CRT Manufacturing’s Star Bars composite rebar will reduce embodied carbon by eight per cent and a 70 per cent reduction of operational carbon.

Star Bars is a fibreglass bar with a spiral ribbed profile primarily designed for concrete reinforcement, and it can be used in any application within the construction industry.

Meanwhile, the deputy director (Research and Development) for the Malaysian Timber Industry Board’s (MTIB) Fibre and Biocomposite Centre, Loh Yueh Feng, said wood plastic composite (WPC) is also one innovative product that industry players can use in the construction industry.

WPC is a composite material made of wood flour/other biomass material and thermoplastics such as polyethene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.

She said WPC demand has been growing, driven by various factors such as increasing construction activities, the desire for sustainable and eco-friendly materials, and technological advancements.

“These materials are more durable, water-resistant, low maintenance and can be moulded into various forms and sizes. Hence, the demand for WPC as sustainable and environmentally friendly materials in the construction is growing,” she said.

Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) chief executive Datuk Mohd Zaid Zakaria said implementing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practises in the construction sector is critical because the construction industry is the catalyst of any nation’s physical and economic development.

He said the construction industry has a multiplier effect of 2.03 due to its connections to more than 120 different industries, of which 90 per cent of the firms comprise small and medium enterprises.

“The construction sector serves almost all other industries, as all economic value creation occurs within or by means of the built environment,” he said in his keynote address at the International Construction Transformation Conference (ICTC) yesterday.

ICW 2023, with the theme of “Leading ESG in Construction”, features conferences, seminars, business matching, and a series of open forums and technology talks.

Its exhibition component, BuildXpo, is expected to attract 500 exhibitors and more than 10,000 trade visitors.

-- BERNAMA