Holcim, Base Bahay, Kanya Kawayan collaborate on eco-friendly weaving center in Batangas

Leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc. is proud to support affordable and resilient housing organization Base Bahay Foundation in constructing a weaving center for social enterprise Kanya Kawayan in Nasugbu, Batangas that will provide jobs for the local community.

The 150 square-meter weaving center is a great example of a sustainable construction project given its low environmental footprint and positive social impact. It will be built with green cement Holcim ECOPlanet, which has 30% lower carbon footprint than Ordinary Portland Cement. The structure will also utilize Base Bahay’s innovative cement-bamboo frame technology, which the organization has used to build 800 houses that are resilient to fires, earthquakes, and typhoons all over the country. Bamboo makes the weaving center even more eco-friendly as it replaces timber, which takes longer to grow.

Furthermore, the structure celebrates Filipino building heritage with its use of local bamboo and elements of traditional architectural design. Finally, the center will help uplift the community by providing 40 jobs as weavers and sewers to the wives and other dependents of local farmers. The structure is set to be finished in the third quarter of 2022.

Holcim Philippines Chief Sustainability Officer Zoe Sibala: “This very closely aligns with our vision to build progress that is inclusive. This partnership weaves two key pillars of our sustainability commitment as it uses green products such as our Holcim ECOPlanet and increases access to better economic opportunities. The resilience of bamboo and strength of cement can be seen in this partnership and we look forward to working with partners that are innovative and can help us in building better in the Philippines.”

Base Bahay President Maricen Jalandoni: “The weaving center provides a venue for people who are currently unemployed to learn new skills to support themselves. This is consistent with our mission at Base and Hilti Foundation to provide technology that enables people to build better and empower marginalized sectors by helping them help themselves economically.”

Kanya Kawayan President Bea Roxas: “The very essence of KANYA is interwoven with a commitment to be of service to the economic development of rural communities in the province of Batangas. We are thankful to Base Bahay and Holcim Philippines for their support in making this project a reality and excited to see it have a positive impact in the community.”

About Base Bahay Foundation

BASE is a foundation that provides alternative building technologies to enable a network of partners to build quality socialized homes. Homes that are Comfortable, Affordable, Disaster Resilient, Ecologically Friendly, and with Social Impact.

BASE develops technologies using locally grown and renewable materials to create housing envelops and designs suited to the needs of local communities. BASE is focused on affordable housing solutions geared toward social development and impact. Through intensive research and technology, training and value chain development, BASE continues to share the Cement Bamboo Frame Technology through programs designed to answer the need for quality housing using environment friendly and alternative building materials.

About Kanya Kawayan

Kanya is a sustainable brand of woven accessories and homeware with social impact. This venture is rooted in an artisanal technology transforming bagasse – a sugarcane residue – into a pioneering, eco-friendly, natural weaving fabric. The global production of sugarcane dumps millions of tons of bagasse each year; a natural residue that when burnt releases carbon monoxide. Due to its composition, the reuse of this sugarcane by-product is complex. Kanya has discovered an alternative use for it. As a socially inclusive driven brand and equally committed to environmental stability, Kanya produce only environmentally friendly fabrics while employing entirely manual processes characterized by positive ecological footprint.

The very essence of Kanya is interwoven with a commitment to be of service to those who grow sugarcane, process its by-product, spin, weave and sew the fabric into delicate as well as minimalist designs. Being a Social Enterprise, people purchasing Kanya products are not only buying unique, handmade, artisanal items but they also invest in a project that provides a new livelihood opportunity to the members of a rural community in Batangas – an agricultural community almost synonymous to sugarcane.

Kanya is more than just a brand. It’s a concept anchored on returning to our roots, our origins. Drawing inspiration from sugarcane, Kanya creates to give back to the land that has given us so much.