[Source: Supplied]

A feasibility study is underway to adopt low carbon cement in the country.

During a workshop in Suva today, stakeholders heard how this new product, called limestone calcined clay cement or LC3, can minimize Fiji’s carbon footprint by as much as 40%.

Pacific Community Geotechnical Advisor, Gary Lee says while cement is the most widely-used building material in the world, it is also a major contributor to global warming, accounting for 8% of carbon emissions.

“Two-thirds of construction material are currently sourced from rivers in Fiji, which is a lot of sustainability issues with that. So in the long term, there is a goal for the sector to transition to more quarries so in the long term, there is going to be more quarries likely developed in Fiji, that would more over-burden associated with that.”

Experts from Australia and India joined local stakeholders at the Holiday Inn in Suva today to assess the idea of adopting the environmentally viable LC3, which is a mixture of clay and ground limestone.

The feasibility study will involve site visitations and fieldwork in Australia, India and Fiji to engage cement producers, government agencies and landowners and also gauge the viability of adopting low carbon cement.