ACC – India’s leading Cement Companyrecently set up Green Building Material Centresinthe states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to provide affordable housing to the rural populace. The low-cost housing market in India is a significant opportunity as almost 70 percent of the population still lives in the countryside and a vast amount of residential, commercial, and infrastructure construction is needed there. It is estimated that if one million homes are built in a year for the next 10 years, this would only cover about a quarter of the need.
ACC Green Building Materials Centres educate the rural population, particularly low cost buildersin construction techniques, use of eco-friendly building materials andcreate business opportunities for them to network with local government and community.
These Centres encourage sustainable construction techniques (hence the “green” in the name). Materials are produced from local resources and incorporate waste material like fly ash which helps drastically reduce CO2 emissions and further cut costs.
The popularity and effectiveness of these Centres can be judged by the fact that at the recently concluded Green Cities Forum, ACC’s Green Building Centres were acknowledged as the Smart Initiative and received a trophy and certificate.
This concept is popular not just in India but also in countries, like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or parts of Latin America – in fact wherever rural development is required. Such an approach can help ACC Limited, now part of the worldwide Holcim Group support its reputation as a solution provider and as an organization which cares about rural development. It has tremendous potential to create brand awareness in the minds of rural customers.
