Green Jobs: ILO at the launch of ‘14Trees’ initiative
The ILO Zambia Green Jobs Program took part in the first introduction of a creative joint venture to bring low-carbon, affordable housing materials to developing countries.
29 June 2016
ABIDJAN (ILO News) – The Zambia Green jobs program (ZGJP) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) attended in Zurich, Switzerland the launch of 14Trees, a new initiative which has improved housing for 400.000 people in twenty-five countries.
The ILO Program, which is a partner in this initiative, has a sustainable construction collaborative work with Lafarge Zambia and has contributed to the decision by the group HQ, LafargeHolcim, with support from CDC Group plc, to set up a company, 14Trees, tasked with expanding the production and promotion of Durabric - on Soil Stabilized Block (SSB) construction – a new technology applied in sustainable construction projects in Zambia.
LafargeHolcim and CDC Group plc (‘CDC’), the UK’s development finance institution, have today announced in their press release the creation of 14Trees, a joint-venture that aims to accelerate the production and commercialization of Durabric - an environmentally-friendly, affordable alternative to traditional clay burnt bricks.
14Trees is expected to help address the growing demand for affordable housing for some of the nearly 3 billion people around the world living in earth-based houses.
According to a joint press release, many African countries face the effects of climate change as a result of widespread deforestation that is driven by the demand for wood used in the production of clay burnt bricks. An expanding construction sector boosted by population growth and urbanisation also puts pressure on resources and increasingly fragile ecosystems.
Already used in Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia, 14Trees will enable Durabric to be commercialized in other countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 3 million of these bricks have already been produced in Malawi since 2013, and have been used in around 500 buildings. A new Durabric production plant is being built in Malawi and will open in the third quarter of 2016.
The ILO Program, which is a partner in this initiative, has a sustainable construction collaborative work with Lafarge Zambia and has contributed to the decision by the group HQ, LafargeHolcim, with support from CDC Group plc, to set up a company, 14Trees, tasked with expanding the production and promotion of Durabric - on Soil Stabilized Block (SSB) construction – a new technology applied in sustainable construction projects in Zambia.
LafargeHolcim and CDC Group plc (‘CDC’), the UK’s development finance institution, have today announced in their press release the creation of 14Trees, a joint-venture that aims to accelerate the production and commercialization of Durabric - an environmentally-friendly, affordable alternative to traditional clay burnt bricks.
14Trees is expected to help address the growing demand for affordable housing for some of the nearly 3 billion people around the world living in earth-based houses.
According to a joint press release, many African countries face the effects of climate change as a result of widespread deforestation that is driven by the demand for wood used in the production of clay burnt bricks. An expanding construction sector boosted by population growth and urbanisation also puts pressure on resources and increasingly fragile ecosystems.
Already used in Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia, 14Trees will enable Durabric to be commercialized in other countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 3 million of these bricks have already been produced in Malawi since 2013, and have been used in around 500 buildings. A new Durabric production plant is being built in Malawi and will open in the third quarter of 2016.