Setting a new benchmark for sustainability in Sri Lanka’s burgeoning construction industry, leading property developer John Keells Properties (JKP) partnered AGC Innovate (Pvt.) 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.   

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

By turning these waste materials into an industrial raw material, JKP and AGC Innovate will use waste plastic as a substitute for a percentage of fossil fuels like bitumen, when constructing roads whose paving quality is significantly higher than conventional asphalt. This in turn creates a secondary use for what is often single-use plastics, while also resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions, enabling further positive impacts on JKP’s efforts to lower its carbon footprint. At the same time, the PMAC model creates modified asphalt roads which are safer, smoother and more cost-effective in addition to being significantly more environmentally-friendly and durable. 

With the commission of PMAC paving at Crescat Boulevard and JKP’s flagship mixed-development, Cinnamon Life, a total of 150 kgs and 792 kgs of waste plastic has been recycled and used for roads at both properties. This is collectively equivalent to approximately 41,000 and 211,000 single use plastic bags, respectively, which would otherwise have ended up being dumped in landfills or contributing to the pollution of keystone land and
marine ecosystems. 

At Crescat, AGC was able to accommodate clients’ requirements, engineering parameters, compliance with applicable standards, in a unique working location 
Similarly, at Cinnamon Life, JKP’s iconic 4.5 million square foot integrated mixed-use development, AGC Innovate successfully adapted construction plans to suit situational needs after construction had already commenced. Given that the development encompasses a public road, additional permissions were obtained from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to also include Glennie Street within the PMAC paving project as well.