magazine_ Article
Circular economy in construction
Eurac Research wants to support companies use raw materials as sustainably as possible
The construction industry in Trentino-South Tyrol produces three million tons of waste annually. Not all of it is garbage since many of the materials are valuable and could be reused. This is where the concept of the circular economy and the Eurac Research Circular-Lab come into play.
Every year, over three million tons of construction and demolition waste (CDW) are generated in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. Before this waste can be recycled, these materials must be laboriously separated. About half of this waste is mixed and comes from construction: stones, plaster, wallpaper, pipes, cable scraps, scrap metal and various glass, wood and plastic waste; another quarter is asphalt, followed by cement and excavated soil.
At least some of this could be avoided if the life cycle of components and products could be extended – which would not only be more sustainable but also economically advantageous. But to what extent are companies in South Tyrol interested in this? And where specifically do they see obstacles and opportunities? To find out, Martino Gubert, an engineer and researcher at the Institute for Renewable Energy, conducted interviews with local companies that work in the wood, window or facade construction industry.
His main aim was to understand the extent to which the companies are interested in reusing used materials and where they see possibilities for the application of circular economy processes in their products and systems.
“These discussions were very important for us because they gave us an insight into the logic of the companies and thus helped us to align our consulting services with the needs of the construction companies,” says Martino Gubert.
The survey showed that companies are generally interested and open to the topic and helped to pinpoint some of their concerns: legal uncertainty, regulatory barriers, doubts about quality, performance, guarantees, market demand and cost-benefit calculations as well as a lack of incentives and logistics. There was great interest in training and further education opportunities in the field of circular economy, as well as in potential improvements in product design and manufacturing to make them circular. Many interviewees also see potential in production lines that reduce waste and scrap in the manufacturing phase. Specific labels certifying circular products and materials were also met with approval.
What is circular economy?
To explain what is actually meant by the circular economy, it is often contrasted with the opposite approach, known as linear economy which can be described as ‘take-make-waste’. This system usually works as follows: goods are produced, brought to market, used and then thrown away. Many products have a very short use life and the majority of them ultimately become waste – only a very small proportion of the raw materials they are made from are reused.
“Circular economy is a model of consumption and production,” explains Gubert. “It is about reusing existing materials for as long as possible, reintroducing them into the cycle, eventually after a reprocessing, and extending the life of these products by sharing, passing on or repairing them.” And when a product has reached the end of its useful life, it is dismantled in such a way that the resources and materials can remain in the economy as much as possible. They are therefore reused productively over and over again to continue creating value. “This means that this process should ideally be planned as early as the product development phase. In any case, it increases the possibilities for reuse if a product is planned and built in such a way that it can be easily disassembled,” says Gubert from experience.
“Designing and building a product in such a way that it can be easily disassembled increases the possibilities for reuse.”
Martino Gubert, researcher at the Institute for Renewable Energy
The so-called R principles of circular economy illustrate a wide range of possibilities:
- refuse unnecessary products;
- rethink the entire life cycle of products;
- reduce the consumption of materials;
- reuse what you can;
- repair defective products;
- refurbish by bringing obsolete devices up to date;
- remanufacture by using parts of defective products to manufacture new ones;
- repurpose by finding new uses for old products;
- recycle materials to the production cycle through to avoid new raw materials;
- recover by utilizing materials that can no longer be recycled.
Materials that fail to enter these Rs end up in landfills. The ultimate goal of the circular economy is to minimize as much as possible what becomes waste in landfills, acting in each case on the highest possible R to extend the life of the product/material.
Sustainable and circular construction
The construction sector’s high consumption of resources makes it all the more important to build more circular buildings that are easy to maintain, can be used for a long time and can be dismantled for high-quality reuse at the end of their service life.
The research team at the Institute for Renewable Energy is initially focusing on three areas: windows, facades and timber construction. “We have deliberately focused on companies that manufacture construction components and systems. In South Tyrol, for example, there are a relatively large number of companies that manufacture windows. There is great potential for circular economy processes here because they can be considered at both the stage when components are being planned and installed,” explains Gubert.
Piles of various wooden planks, insulation and sealing materials lie neatly lined up in the courtyard of the open-air laboratory of Eurac Research. Miren Juaristi, Leire Minguez, Stefano Avesani, Martino Gubert and their colleagues have just dismantled a wooden facade into its individual parts. The research group is evaluating the disassembly processes of prototypes and components to find out where circular economy processes could be applied and how to measure circularity with a view to possible future labelling.
Gubert explains: “We tried to disassemble facades and evaluated the dismantling process. This way, we learned firsthand that most are clearly not designed with a circular economy in mind. This clearly shows we have to start with design and production.” Further similar analyses have revealed that very few components are designed in such a way that they can be dismantled without destroying a large proportion of the individual parts and materials. “With every window and every facade sample we take apart, we find the critical points of the respective model and in doing so, can help the production companies to improve the designs in a targeted way,” explains Gubert.
“The aim of the project is to support small and medium-sized companies in the construction sector in South Tyrol so that they can become more resource-efficient and activate circular economy processes.”
Martino Gubert, researcher at the Institute for Renewable Energy
In order for the implementation of sustainable circular economy in the construction industry to take effect in the present and not just be projected into the future, two approaches must be pursued in parallel: (i) ways must be found to dismantle what is being salvaged and demolished so that as much of it as possible can be reused; (ii) new products must be designed so that they can be dismantled and reused in twenty or thirty years in a resource-efficient way. Only in this way can sustainable and circular construction succeed which will also save valuable resources and reduce the amount of waste.
Eurac Research’s Circular Lab
“We are contributing to the interreg IT/AT ATTENTION project which aims to to support small and medium-sized companies in the construction sector in South Tyrol in becoming more resource-efficient whilst activating circular economy processes. The construction sector tends to react more slowly than other sectors to such changes,” says Martino Gubert. “The discussions we have had have shown that at the moment, only a few companies are willing to activate far-reaching circular processes – many doubt their economic viability and market demand. The idea is to start with these services gradually, also because we expect important changes in the legal requirements and a change in thinking among companies and clients in the next few years.”
“The planning effort for circular buildings and building components is generally somewhat higher than standard ones, but ultimately pays off in terms of maintenance and renovation, as well as at the end of the service life.”
Martino Gubert, researcher at the Institute for Renewable Energy
While some Eurac Research projects are aimed at political institutions at the EU and or national level, others develop coaching programs for companies that want to move in a circular direction. The ATTENTION project is specifically aimed at small and medium-sized companies in the construction sector. With its partners offering similar services in Innsbruck, Salzburg, Treviso and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, the Eurac Research team is focusing on awareness raising and knowledge transfer in this phase.
The Circular Lab is being set up at Eurac Research for this purpose. Here, the research team from the Institute for Renewable Energy offers companies the following services
- knowledge transfer and training in the field of circular learning;
- integrated product and system design, proposing improvements to the system considering its end-of-life and possible new future uses in the field of circular design;
- practical support in improving non-distructive dismantling options in the field of circular assessment;
- feasibility studies and environmental impact;
- resilience and performance checks of the reused materials and product components.
“Although the planning effort for circular buildings and components is generally somewhat higher, it ultimately pays off in terms of maintenance and renovation, as well as at the end of the building's service life. This is because the recovery of materials and reuse of components reduces costs and creates new job and business opportunities in the various fields of application,” Martino Gubert is convinced.
Workshop 02.10.2024
Circular economy, construction and social sustainability
A workshop to foster a dialogue between construction companies, social cooperatives and enterprises, as well as local administrative authorities to activate a sustainable circular economy in South Tyrol. Eurac Research will present new projects and services to improve circularity in the construction industry, with a focus on the recovery and reuse of components and the role of social enterprises in circular economy. The workshop will also present best practices from start-ups and local social enterprises and involve participants in a guided discussion on the synergies needed to promote a sustainable circular model in South Tyrol.
Our circular economy projects
The ECLECTIC project aims to support local stakeholders in creating, implementing and monitoring circular economy action plans. The goal is to promote a sustainable, fair and carbon-neutral transition in small and medium-sized European cities. By involving businesses, local authorities, civil society organizations and citizens, the project will identify best practices and social vulnerabilities that can benefit from the introduction of circular and sharing economy models.
The INNO.CIRCLE project aims to support the transformation towards a circular economy in order to enable small and medium-sized companies to redesign their products and business models and implement innovation potential. To this end, a series of awareness-raising events and coaching programs are taking place to sensitize companies and stakeholders to the topic.
The aim of the project is to promote a circular economy in the construction sector. A cross-border, permanent network of advisory centers is being set up to offer circular services in the areas of architecture, technologies and materials. This will support small and medium-sized companies in the construction value chain in activating circular economy processes.
Provincial strategy for the circular economy
The Autonomous Province of Bolzano has commissioned Eurac Research to develop a regional strategy for a circular economy to achieve climate neutrality in South Tyrol. The aim of the strategy is to create guidelines with measures that are based on the principles of a circular economy and serve to collect and document material flows in the construction industry.
