Holcim targets eco-friendly appetite of local builders

The local unit of Swiss-based cement firm Holcim is banking on what it sees as the rising demand for more sustainable products in the Philippines, introducing a new mix in its products sold in the country.

Holcim Philippines last week said it rebranded its blended cement brand, Excel ECOPlanet, citing the move highlights its success in significantly reducing the carbon footprint of their products while still adhering to the same to product quality.

‘Important milestone’

“Excel ECOPlanet is an important milestone in our sustainability journey in the Philippines. It combines the strong legacy of Excel in the country and the Group’s direction of accelerating innovation to decarbonize building,” said Horia Adrian, president and CEO of Holcim Philippines.

“We are proud that Excel is classified as an ECOPlanet product and excited to see our customers continue using this in building progress in the country,” he added.

Adrian said that their cement mix now incorporates more aspects of recycling, preventing millions of tons of wastage per year, leading to lower carbon emission for the cement industry.

Market availability

Holcim’s ECOPlanet brand is currently being sold across 30 markets across the globe, with the Philippines and Australia as the only two countries in Asia where it is available to date.

The Holcim executive said that they see the demand for more sustainable products in the local construction industry increasing, given the boom in what are considered as “green buildings.”

“I think in the Philippines, we can see that this is coming more stronger, this feature of sustainability,” Adrian said.

“It’s not only foreign developers but also local developers, they are also very much interested,” he added.

Since 2018, Holcim Philippines said it has reduced its carbon footprint by more than 20 percent by producing blended cements, as well as replacing coal with qualified wastes as alternative fuels and raw materials. INQ