JKP partners AGC Innovate to pave a sustainable future for construction sector

• Plastic Modified Asphalt Concrete (PMAC) in flagship projects   
• Over 900 kg of waste plastic and polythene bags used in paving at Cinnamon Life  

Setting a new benchmark for sustainability in Sri Lanka’s burgeoning construction industry, leading property developer John Keells Properties partnered AGC Innovate Ltd. to incorporate Plastic Modified Asphalt Concrete (PMAC) paving into its construction projects, including Crescat Boulevard and Cinnamon Life. 

Supported by John Keells Holdings’ pioneering social entrepreneurship project, ‘Plasticycle’, the new partnership with AGC Innovate, aims to help solve Sri Lanka’s plastic waste crisis by creating stable, sustainable solutions by utilising PMAC-based materials across JKP’s expanding portfolio of construction projects.   

“Pollution caused by single-use plastics and non-recyclable plastic material are among the most severe environmental issues of our time. By leveraging AGC Innovate’s expertise in PMAC to complete our road surfaces, we establish a pathway towards circular economies in the Sri Lankan construction sector,” said Inoke Perera Chief Operating Officer John Keells Properties.

Before the pandemic, it was estimated that over 46,000 pieces (269,000 tons) of plastic polluted one square mile of the Indian Ocean on average, while Sri Lanka generates approximately 7,000 metric tons of mismanaged solid waste daily, of which 6% is plastic and polythene waste . 

Unfortunately, at present, plastic packaging alternatives struggle to compete on value, durability, and versatility. 

Hence, even though the environmental impacts of improperly disposed plastic is undeniable, the use of such materials are likely to continue over at least the short-medium term.        

Collection and recycling of waste plastic – which would otherwise take many hundreds of years to degrade at minimum – is the logical solution to the problem of plastic pollution.