End-of-life scenario-based assessment of building wood waste circulation through deconstruction: A case study in Canada

Abstract

The circular economy plays a crucial role in reducing global carbon emissions, with end-of-life wood waste management offering significant environmental benefits. This study examines the potential for embodied carbon reduction through deconstruction practices, using a case study in Vancouver BC to provide Canada-specific insights. A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was applied to evaluate embodied carbon emissions, considering system boundary stages C1–C4 and beyond-boundary impacts (stage D). Real-world data were collected from an on-site deconstruction project, and fourteen scenarios were developed to compare the environmental impacts of different wood waste circulation strategies. The results demonstrate that deconstruction significantly reduces embodied carbon emissions compared to traditional demolition, with reductions of up to 8.36 tonnes CO₂-eq (around 50 kg CO₂-eq/m²). More advanced circulation strategies achieved the greatest carbon savings, with scenarios maximizing reuse (S61 and S62) emerging as the most effective. A key contribution of this study is the identification of worker transport as a non-negligible factor in deconstruction emissions, which is an area often overlooked in previous studies. This study also reinforces the waste management hierarchy, where reuse ranks higher than recycling and energy recovery due to its greater carbon reduction potential. However, despite regulatory advancements in Vancouver and other global cities, challenges remain in assessing material quality and establishing a robust reclaimed wood market. The findings provide empirical evidence for policies that promote and potentially mandate deconstruction over traditional demolition, advocating for enhanced reuse strategies to maximize environmental benefits.