KUALA LUMPUR: YTL Cement Group, a leading building materials provider, has launched Malaysia’s first pilot facility dedicated to processing and reusing recycled concrete aggregates (RCA), marking a major step toward sustainable and circular construction.
Developed in partnership with the Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM), the research arm of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the facility aims to reduce construction waste and reliance on virgin raw materials. Located in Jalan Chan Sow Lin, near key construction zones, the facility was officially launched by CIDB Malaysia chief executive Zainora Zainal and YTL Cement director Datuk Aziyah Mohamed.
(L-R): Datuk Sri Dr. Arifuddin Mohamed Shah, CREAM board member, Patrick Pereira, director of YTL Cement, Datuk Aziyah Mohamed, director of YTL Cement, Zainora Zainal, chief executive of CIDB Malaysia, M. Ramuseren, chief executive officer of CREAM, and Datuk Dr. Gerald Sundaraj, CREAM board member at the launch of Malaysia’s first RCA facility.
The plant transforms fresh returned concrete—estimated at 5% of Malaysia’s annual 30 million cubic metres of concrete production—into aggregates that can replace up to 30% of natural aggregates in new concrete mixes. Finer by-products are also repurposed for road base layers or brick-making. This effort supports a low-carbon, resource-efficient construction ecosystem.
“This initiative shows our commitment to advancing sustainable development in Malaysia. We aim to change the perception of returned concrete from waste into a valuable resource and replicate this model in other construction-heavy areas,” said Aziyah.
Operational since June 2025, the RCA facility is the first major outcome of a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding between YTL Cement and CREAM, focusing on talent development, research, and the shift to greener construction methods.
Zainora praised the project as a model public-private partnership: “The RCA facility demonstrates how collaboration can accelerate innovation and meet national sustainability goals. We hope this will inspire more industry players to adopt RCA and launch similar initiatives nationwide, supporting the National Construction Policy 2030.”
YTL Cement and CREAM also plan to expand research into new applications for RCA by-products, particularly aggregate fines, to further enhance efficiency and reduce environmental impact across Malaysia’s construction value chain.
