Sustainable Use of Materials |
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Material resources are a key contributor to sustainability in construction, along with energy- and water-saving initiatives, and the efficient use of those material resources can be improved by:
- Using less material
- Avoiding and reducing waste
- Reusing materials
- Recovering wastes by recycling into new applications
- Selecting manufactured products with higher recycled content
All of these actions can reduce carbon emissions and wider life-cycle environmental impacts, in a cost-neutral or cost-saving way.
STEP 1
Sustainability starts with design choices. For example, the BRE Green Guide to Specification, co-sponsored by WRAP and currently being updated, helps design teams select types of material for walls, roofs, etc., with low overall environmental impact.
STEP 2
The next step is to target specific actions to enhance sustainability within the chosen design specification, such as
- designing out the causes of waste
- identifying substitutes with higher recycled content – such as locally-sourced recycled aggregates and alternative brands of block.
STEP 3
Finally, good site practice – including materials supply logistics and rigorous segregation of wastes – ensures that waste is reduced and recovered while helping the bottom line.
Working through this process avoids landfill, cuts overall wastage and provides markets for the waste materials that can be reused and recycled.
