circular economy and the built environment
TRANSCRIPT
Part of the BRE Trust
Circular economy in the built environment
Katherine AdamsBRE & Loughborough University
20th January 2017Circular Economy in Construction – 2nd Green Construction Board Conference
Content
– Introduction– Principles – Benefits – What the statistics tell us..– Activities
What is the circular economy?
‘A circular economy is one that is restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles’
(Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013).
‘Systemic approach to the design of business models, enabling the sustainable management of resources in products and services ‘
(BSI, 2015).
Definitions
UKCG, 2014
Circular economy principlesPrinciples (developed from literature)Increasing the productivity of materials, products and components by doing the same or more with less. Eliminating waste by defining materials as either technical or biological nutrients enabling them to be within material loops Maintaining or increasing the value of materials, environmentally and economically. Thinking in systems by studying the flows of material through industrialised systems, understanding the links, how they influence each other and the consequences, enabling closed-loop processes where waste serves as an input.
Why it is important in the construction sector – Monetary gains
– £300 billion from primary resource benefits, including energy by 2030 in Europe
– Amsterdam study – circular building chain can lead to 3% increase in productivity growth – € 85 million/year
– Joint industry/Government commitment to reduce GHG emissions by 50% by 2025
– Highly material intensive sector - 1.2 -1.8 mt of construction materials/year for new buildings and refurbishment in Europe
– Material security e.g. aggregates (planning), certified timber– Large amount of waste generated and most is down-cycled
– 821 million tonnes across Europe in 2012, a third of all waste generated
The national performance – Decrease in raw material consumption in UK (547mt in 2001
compared to 410mt in 2014)– Since 2000, raw material consumption per unit of GDP has
reduced– Waste generation has decreased ( 298mt in 2004 compared
to 252mt in 2014)
– Only 20% of resources are from secondary sources in UK– An estimated third of materials used ‘lost’ for further use in
UK– Globally 6% of materials are ‘circular’
The UK’s construction sector performance – Decrease in material use (196mt of non-metallic materials in
2013 compared to 288mt in 2003)– 90% of construction and demolition (C&D) waste recovered
in 2014
– C&D waste generated relative to construction output is not decreasing (34t/£m in 2012 compared to 48t/£m in 2014)
– 60% of all waste is from the construction sector – Amount of reclaimed materials decreased from 1.8mt in 2007
to 750kt in 2011– An increase of 10mt (58mt) of excavation waste generated in
2014 compared to 2012
Circular economy in the construction sector
– Not one magic bullet– Different approaches and solutions required:
– Various types of buildings/infrastructure– Majority of assets already built – Asset (building) level v product level– Short lived v long lived construction products– Various developer/client approaches – Accountancy and budgets– Supply chain and contractual considerations– Potential conflict of circular economy principles
Design Manufacture and supply
Construction In use End of life
Design for deconstruction Design for adaptability and flexibilityDesign for standardisationDesigning out wasteModularitySpecifying reclaimed materialsSpecifying recycled materials
Ecodesign principlesUsing less materials/optimising material use Using less hazardous materialsIncreasing the life spanDesigning for disassemblyDesigning for standardisationUsing more secondary materialsTake back schemesReverse logistics
Minimise construction waste Procuring reused materialsProcuring recycled materialsOff site construction
Minimise wasteMinimal maintenanceEasy repair and upgradeAdaptabilityFlexibility Utilising assets
Deconstruction Selective demolitionReuse of products and componentsClosed loop recyclingOpen loop recycling
Management of information including metrics and datasets
What are the benefits in the construction sector? – Life cycle thinking – Different ways of creating value – Forward thinking/ competitive advantage – Drive innovation – Risk reduction– Cost reduction – Improved relationships– Assist with building assessment schemes
What CE activities are occurring?
http://bit.ly/CEthinking2017
Learning from 20 years of resource efficiency (1996 – 2016)
• Industry participation/buy in is crucial to develop practicable solutions
• Drivers for change absolutely necessary or things won’t change• It’s easier to make complicated solutions than simple ones• Exemplars are often ‘cat walk’ , need to adapt for ‘high street’ • Incremental actual change is better than transformative theoretical –
should still aim high though
Thank you
E: [email protected]: [email protected] T: 07855 958712
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/katherine-adams-02410a7