Call for eco-friendly labels on construction materials

KUALA LUMPUR: The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is proposing an eco-friendly label on construction materials.

The plan is part of the national eco-labelling scheme with the participation of the relevant certification bodies.

"Eco-labelling has to be introduced to encourage the use and demand for environmentally preferable building products and construction methods and techniques," said CIDB construction technology and innovation development sector manager, Emasria Ismail.

CIDB plans to come up with a document criteria for eco-labelling as part its strategic recommendations for improving environmental practices in the construction sector.

It is learnt that CIDB has already developed document criteria for panel boards, carpets and wood composites.

Speaking at the Green Construction Conference 2012 here yesterday, Emasria said the board was now finalising the document criteria for steel, with plans to kick start the pilot project in July.

Meanwhile, Kaarin Taipale, a world expert in urban sustainability, said eco-labelling, or green labelling, was a good start in turning the industry green.

She believed in the motivational instruments - sticks (regulations), carrots (incentives), and tambourines (measures to attract programme) - that she said were needed in getting the stakeholders to go green.

"The carrot for contractors is very small, so we are thinking about that, too. However, the "stick" should be equally big, too. We must continue raising the benchmark," said Taipale, who is with Finland's Energy Ministry.

The prime minister's office in Putrajaya would be a model of sustainable building, which can be easily emulated by others.

The central administrative office is slated to undergo a refurbishing exercise to turn the property into an energy efficient building.

Roger Frechette, who is instrumental in the sustainable designing of Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and in collaboration with KFM Holdings Bhd, is involved in the conceptual design that would help improve energy use at the prime minister's office.

The plan is to reduce the building's energy use by 40 per cent from the current baseline use.

The two-day Green Construction Conference 2012 conference brings together visionaries and leading companies in building technology, design and construction. The event is jointly hosted by the Works Ministry and CIDB.

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Call for eco-friendly labels on construction materials