Asia is a key off-taker of contemporary Australian materials. Australia is the largest exporter of iron ore in the world, sending most quantities to China, followed by Japan and South Korea. Australia is also one of the largest exporters of bauxite, with the same Asian market customers as the primary procurers. The Asian market is already the primary customer for Australian materials, the same markets could be the buyers of the decarbonised materials of tomorrow.
Australia has the potential, with its access to raw materials like iron and bauxite and its plentiful renewable energy potential, to deliver green building materials to the Asian market in the near future. In MECLA, roughly 200 organisations along the Australian supply chain for construction convene to map and address challenges in decarbonising the sector. The opportunity is clear – if Australia can figure out how to deliver low carbon assets in construction using lower carbon building materials, the benefit is not confined to national borders. Countries like Singapore are already looking to Australian innovation to help address their own Net Zero ambitions, as evidenced by the Singapore-Australia Green Economy Agreement.
Asian nations will be looking for solutions to their Net Zero challenges, and when it comes to construction materials, Australia is perfectly placed to offer a solution.
– Alexander Barnstone, Project Manager, Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance
