Advancing sustainable construction: How we can make a difference

The construction industry has a profound impact on the environment, accounting for significant resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. As the world increasingly recognises the importance of sustainability, Malaysia's construction sector faces both challenges and opportunities in embracing sustainable practices.

The good news is that in recent years, conversations on sustainable construction have taken centre stage. In fact, sustainable practices in construction have been duly highlighted under the Construction Industry Transformation Programme. Green building certifications, such as MyCrest, GreenRE and Green Building Index (GBI) in Malaysia provide a framework for sustainable construction practices and create market demand for eco-friendly buildings.

To accelerate sustainable construction, industry players need to work hand-in-hand towards a shared goal. A comprehensive guideline encompassing the roles of the different stakeholders in the sector and a supportive ecosystem to enable end-to-end application of sustainable practices are needed to effectively mobilise a sector-wide transition. The first change is perhaps in reaching a consensus on what sustainable construction should entail.

A sustainable built environment should ideally have most of the following elements:

1. Optimised footprint and land use that balances economic, social and environmental values.
2. Low embodied carbon building design and construction.
3. Designed for low operational carbon throughout its lifespan.
4. Durable and resilient to changing environment.
5. Contributes to occupant well-being and improves quality of life.
6. Convenient connectivity to public transportation system.

YTL Cement: Embracing Challenges and Opportunities
YTL Cement has taken significant steps to promote sustainable construction in Malaysia, embracing both the challenges and opportunities in this field. We introduced our range of eco-friendly products - ECOCem cement and ECOConcrete - which are competitively priced against conventional alternatives such as Portland cement and CEM I concrete, and offer better concrete durability. This ECO product range reduces the environmental impact of construction projects while addressing cost concerns.

Also available are new products to address evolving construction needs and help reduce operational costs. FlowBuild, a self-compacting ECOConcrete, can be placed with fewer manpower onsite, lowering energy consumption. Meanwhile, a special design mix for flooring solutions known as FiberBuild can offer better performance, particularly in crack control. Using FiberBuild also requires less rebar, which directly reduces embodied carbon and project costs while enhancing building performance.

We are committed to continuously improving our production processes to be more sustainable by reinvesting in our plants to be more efficient and to reduce carbon emissions. In addition, recycled materials are used to partially replace virgin resources, minimising the ecological footprint of our products.

Investing in R&D
YTL Cement is exploring emerging technologies and conducting in-house R&D. There is Project ReGen – a project to cultivate algae for carbon capture and use as an alternative fuel in cement production. To-date, we have preliminary findings on the effects of different cultivation conditions.

Project ReGen – a project to cultivate algae for carbon capture and use as an alternative fuel in cement production.

Through our Construction Development Lab (CDL), we are also investigating ultra-low carbon cement and concrete. With the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 60 percent, the ultra-low carbon cement and concrete could be a game changer that will accelerate sustainable construction.

While we have made progress on this front, we acknowledge that there is more to be done. YTL Cement will continue to invest in product development, working with our customers and stakeholders to build better together.

YTL Cement: Promoting sustainable construction in Malaysia

This article was first published in The Edge on 29 May 2023 as "Advancing sustainable construction, how we can make a difference."