Sustainable Building Materials in French Polynesia

Developing island economies, such as French Polynesia, are heavily reliant on imported goods. Shipping materials around the world is very energy intensive and contributes to global environmental pollution. A system for the local manufacturing of sustainable building materials offers numerous environmental and economic incentives. From a global perspective, reductions in energy demand and pollution generation are major environmental benefits. Local incentives include invigorating the economy, creating jobs, reducing waste, and supporting self-sufficiency. Possible sustainable materials investigated included palm oil fuel ash, cement composites reinforced with coir fiber, recycled plastic products, three-dimensional engineered fiberboard, and local forestry products. Research revealed coir binderless boards to be the most appropriate material to meet design, economic, and sustainability criteria in French Polynesia. A system-wide analysis of carbon dioxide and energy expenditure shows that coir binderless boards are dramatically favorable over existing technologies. In addition, a cost comparison strengthens the argument in favor of the coir binderless board. Finally, an implementation strategy is presented with recommendations for future research.