This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 13, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) said the government will be mandating that all public projects worth RM50 million and above to adopt the Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST) to reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry.

MyCREST, a sustainability rating tool introduced by the works ministry through the Public Works Department and CIDB, aims to quantify and lower the carbon footprint of construction projects by guiding the design, construction and operation of buildings in a low-carbon and sustainable manner.

“In line with the government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% by 2020, the Construction Industry Transformation Programme has set a target for the construction industry to achieve a reduction of four megatonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions per year by 2020,” said Deputy Works Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin at the launch of MyCREST yesterday.