Boosting circular economy solutions in the construction sector using a life cycle assessment

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) management activities have had wide-ranging adverse impacts on the Earth's climate. Addressing the problems of construction and demolition waste production requires a comprehensive and multifaceted approach and specific attention to the development of sustainable circular on-site practices. This study compares recycled products against conventional products already available on the market. This study applied a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the benefits of secondary raw material (SRM)-based products compared to conventional virgin raw materials. Focusing on a Spanish case study that had foreseen the revitalization of a degraded area, the construction of a small utility building, and road construction, this analysis also assessed the overall environmental footprint of the overall construction work. The results showed that, despite the impact savings achieved by opting for SRM-based products rather than conventional solutions, the production stages still have the greatest impact on the scale of construction, with the sole exception of the construction of small facilities where the construction itself was the largest contributor. Climate change; water scarcity; freshwater eutrophication; resource use, energy carriers; and resource use, minerals and metals were the most significant impact categories both in the analysis of the construction products and the overall construction work. An LCA is vital in the construction and demolition sector because it provides a holistic understanding of the environmental impacts associated with the different stages of a project's life cycle fostering the implementation of circular on-site practices.