In my last article, we discussed what carbon is, why it’s a problem, and what impact the construction and demolition (C&D) industry has. Now we’ll look at how reducing the carbon created during a building project is a great way to improve your environmental sustainability.
One of the simplest places to begin is by reducing your waste. In New Zealand, it’s easy to chuck all your waste in a skip bin and let someone else bury the problem, but that doesn’t mean it goes away.
Landfills emit a lot of greenhouse gases, so by following these C&D waste reduction measures, you’ll be well on your way to reducing your carbon footprint.
Reducing waste is easiest if it’s tackled in the design phase. Efficient design uses minimal materials and maximises the lifespan of the product, reducing the need for replacements.
You can also use modular or prefabricated construction techniques to improve material efficiency and reduce waste.
We recommend working with your client and architect/designer to incorporate this kind of thinking early on.
We know it’s all very well to tell you to choose materials with lower carbon footprints, but trying to figure out what impact a product has on the environment can be challenging.
Companies are great at telling you how ‘environmentally friendly’ their products are, but how do you measure these claims? It’s especially difficult if you’re trying to compare two different products, like roofing, cladding, or foundation systems.
To compare the sustainability credentials of two different products, we use a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).
This evaluates the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle and includes all the stages of manufacturing, from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling.
LCAs use a set international system of measures, so you can be confident they’re consistent, which helps you make more informed decisions about a product’s sustainability credentials.
Because LCAs often contain sensitive data about a company, its systems, or its products, businesses which want to share the results of their product’s LCA use an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). These also follow a set of rules, to produce a certified measurement of the embodied carbon in a product.
So, when you have two products that look different, an apple and an orange, you can use EPDs to fairly compare the environmental impacts of them.
Even if you have no say in the design, there are still actions you can take to reduce your waste during a build, which decreases the embodied carbon of your projects. And there are a number of product choice decisions you can make with your clients to reduce the operational carbon of your projects.
To reduce your embodied carbon, we recommend:
• Make waste reduction an active part of your team’s way of working.
• Use less different materials where possible – fewer material types create fewer waste streams to deal with.
• Recycle or reuse spare materials (this uses less carbon than creating a product from scratch).
• Source products which are made from waste/recycled materials.
• Reduce transportation emissions by sourcing materials locally where possible.
• Build for disassembly and reuse at the end of life.
• Choose materials with lower carbon footprints, such as low-carbon concrete, steel alternatives, or bio-based materials. You can do this by comparing their EPD.
Access to EPD information is becoming more common in the C&D industry with work being done to make it more easily accessible. Ask your local merchant to provide this information.
You can significantly reduce operational carbon by ensuring buildings are well insulated, energy efficient, and repairable through things like:
• Improving insulation levels.
• Maximising passive heating and cooling.
• Fitting solar or renewable energy systems.
• Reducing energy consumption, e.g. LED lights and timer switches.
• Waste-water capture and recycling.
• Retrofitting existing building stock, rather than building from scratch.
• Integrating renewable energy systems to minimise power and water use.
This content is brought to you by 3R Group, in partnership with Mitre 10 Sustainability on Site and BRANZ. For more information on how to be more sustainable on your building sites, head to www.mitre10.co.nz/trade/sustainability & https://www.branz.co.nz/reducing-building-material-waste
Stay updated with the latest news by subscribing to our newsletter. Don’t miss out on valuable insights and exciting updates—sign up now to stay connected!
