Alternative Cement

ACE Project

Alternative Cement

ACE Project makes eco-friendly, low-cost bricks from waste to help rural communities build resilient infrastructure.

South Jakarta, South Jakarta City, Jakarta, Indonesia

Indonesia

Not registered as any organization

Rural communities across Indonesia and other climate-vulnerable regions face crumbling infrastructure due to poverty, limited access to durable building materials, and worsening natural disasters. In Indonesia alone, over 20 million people live in poorly constructed homes at high risk of collapse from flooding, earthquakes, or landslides. Many villages rely on costly, carbon-intensive cement bricks or makeshift materials that lack durability and safety. Moreover, industrial waste such as fly ash and bottom ash from coal-burning factories continues to accumulate, polluting ecosystems and contributing to air and water contamination. Our solution tackles both issues—disaster-vulnerable infrastructure and industrial waste—by turning a harmful byproduct into an affordable, sustainable building material. Globally, more than 100 million people live in similar at-risk conditions without access to climate-resilient infrastructure. There is a critical need for scalable, low-cost, eco-friendly solutions to help communities adapt and rebuild in the face of growing environmental threats.

ACE Project transforms harmful industrial and organic waste into sustainable, low-cost bricks for climate-resilient infrastructure in underserved rural communities. We primarily use fly ash and bottom ash—byproducts of coal-burning factories—combined with locally sourced materials and a proprietary binder. Recently, we expanded to incorporate shell waste from coastal regions, further diversifying our sustainable inputs. The resulting bricks are significantly stronger and more affordable than conventional cement bricks. We partner with local workshops to teach community members how to produce and use these bricks, enabling them to manufacture and maintain their own infrastructure. Our brick-making process is optimized for low-resource settings, requiring no electricity and minimal water. In disaster-prone areas, our bricks have been used to rebuild homes, schools, and walkways—including the reconstruction of an earthquake-damaged sidewalk in Central Java, which served as a successful proof of concept. By converting waste into opportunity and empowering communities with the tools and knowledge to build for themselves, ACE Project addresses both environmental degradation and infrastructure inequality.

Our solution serves rural and low-income communities, especially those in disaster-prone regions like Indonesia’s Central and East Java. These populations often lack access to safe housing, roads, or public buildings due to limited resources and high construction costs. Many live in fragile structures vulnerable to collapse during floods, earthquakes, and landslides. By providing access to affordable, eco-friendly bricks and the tools to make them, we empower villagers—especially local women and youth—to take part in rebuilding their communities. The solution reduces dependency on expensive supply chains, creates job opportunities through local brick production, and improves public safety and resilience. In one village, our bricks helped reconstruct a sidewalk damaged by an earthquake, restoring safe access to a school. Long term, our solution improves infrastructure equity, reduces waste pollution, and builds local capacity for climate adaptation. We aim to serve thousands of families across rural Southeast Asia and expand globally to other at-risk regions.