The Role of Product Certification in the Transition towards the Circular Economy for the Construction Sector

Abstract:

The present study explores the environmental quality (natural and recycled content, recyclability, life cycle method) of a sample of certified construction products available in different database in Italy (Remade in Italy, Atlante dell’Economia Circolare, Observatory Recycle-Legambiente Report, Accredia). The results evidence the identification of a wide range of construction products with different certified recycled contents and Italian origin under the certification standard “Remade in Italy”. Moreover, 42% of the certified products rely on the use of LCA for the assessment of the environmental impacts, while 22% of certified products integrate the features of recycled content with the recyclability at the end-of-life. Overall, results show the role certifications may have in increasing the information available on products and their environmental quality, including their traceability in the reverse supply chain, becoming a potential driver for CE adoption and a wider development for such products.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 919)
• Pages: 248-259
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-5582x4
• Online since: May 2022
• Authors: Patrizia Ghisellini*, Renato Passaro, Sergio Ulgiati
• Keywords: Circular Economy, Construction and Demolition Waste, Environmental Quality, Life Cycle Assessment, Product Certification, Remade in Italy, Traceability

References

[1] European Environment Agency. Construction and demolition waste: challenges and opportunities in a circular economy, available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste/waste-management/construction-and-demolition-waste-challenges/download.pdf.static (2020), PDF TH-AM-19-016-EN-N - ISBN 978-92-9480-202-6 - ISSN 2467-3196 -.

DOI: 10.1163/9789004322714_cclc_2020-0201-1122

[2] Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain directive, available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=EN. Last accessed: 31/01/(2021).

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-137-54482-7_45

[3] Y. Yu, D. M. Y, S. Bhochhibhoya, L. V, Towards Circular Economy through Industrial Symbiosis in the Dutch construction industry: A case of recycled concrete aggregates, J. Clean. Prod. 293 (2021) 126083.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126083

[4] R. V. Silva, J. De Brito, R. K. Dhir, Availability and processing of recycled aggregates within the construction and demolition supply chain: a review, Journal of Cleaner Production 143 (2017) 598-614.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.070

[5] P. Rambelli, I materiali inerti riciclati: sostenibilità del riciclaggio e qualità, Degree Thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum e Università di Bologna.

DOI: 10.19103/as.2022.0112.11

[6] P. Ghisellini, M. Ripa, S. Ulgiati, Exploring environmental and economic costs and benefits of a circular economy approach to the construction and demolition sector. A literature review, Journal of Cleaner Production 178 (2018) 618-643.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.207

[7] L. O. Oydele, S. O. Ajayi, K. O. Kadiri, Use of recycled products in UK construction industry: an empirical investigation into critical impediments and strategies for improvement, Resource. Conserv. Recycl. 93 (2014) 23-31.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2014.09.011

[8] RINA, CE Marking of construction products, available at: https://www.rina.org/en/ce-marking-of-construction-products. Last accessed: 31/01/(2021).

[9] Remade in Italy, Certification scheme for the verification of the content of material recovered in a product, available at: https://www.remadeinitaly.it/recycled-products-certification/. Last accessed: 31/01/(2021).

[10] D. R. Vieira, J. L. Calmon, F. Z. Coelho, Life cycle assessment (LCA) applied to the manufacturing of common and ecological concrete: a review, Construct. Build. Mater. 124 (2016) 656-666.

DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.07.125

[11] T. Blankendaal, P. Schuur, H. Voordijk, Reducing the environmental impact of concrete and asphalt: a scenario approach, J. Clean. Prod. 66, (2014) 27-36.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.10.012

[12] M. Buyle, J. Braet, A. Audenaert, A, Life cycle assessment in the construction sector: a review, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 26 (2013) 379-388.

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2013.05.001

[13] R. M. Cuellar-Franca and Azapagic, A. Azapagic, A, Environmental impacts of the UK residential sector: life cycle assessment of houses, Build. Environ. 54 (2012) 86-99.

DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.02.005

[14] G. A. Blengini, Life cycle of buildings, demolition and recycling potential: a case study in Turin, Italy, Build. Environ. 44 (2009) 319-330.

DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.03.007

[15] F. Ardente, G. Beccali, M. Cellura, M. Fontana, S. Longo, L'analisi del ciclo di vita applicata agli edifice residenziali: il caso studio di un edificio monofamiliare, La Termotecnica (2009) (in Italian) 55-59.

[16] L. A. Lopez-Ruiz, X. Roca, X., S. Gassò, The circular economy in the construction and demolition sector - a reveiw and an integrative approach, J. Clean. Prod. 248 (2020) 119-238.

[17] C. G. Da Rocha, M. A. Sattler, A discussion on the reuse of building components in Brazil: an analysis of major social, economic and legal factors, Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 54 (2009) 104-112.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2009.07.004

[18] D. Bianchi, Il riciclo ecoefficiente, Edizioni Ambiente, Milano (2008).

[19] A. Coelho, J. De Brito, Influence on construction and demolition waste management on the environmental impact of buildings, Waste Manag. 32 (2012) 532-541.

DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2011.11.011

[20] L. C. M. Eberart, H. Birgisdottir, M. Birkved, Potential of circular economy in sustainable buildings, IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng. 471 (2019) 092051.

DOI: 10.1088/1757-899x/471/9/092051

[21] Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation, Cities and the circular economy, available at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore/cities-and-the-circulareconomy. Last accessed: 27/07/(2021).

[22] B. Sanchez, B., C. Rausch, C. Haas, R. Saari, A selective disassembly multiobjective optimization approach for adaptive reuse of building components. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 154, (2020) 104605.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104605

[23] V. Selicati, N. Cardinale, M. Dassist, Evaluation of the sustainability of energy retrofit interventions on the historical heritage: a case study in the city of matera, Italy. Int. J. Heat Technol. 38 (1) (2020) 17-27.

DOI: 10.18280/ijht.380103

[24] T. Wastling, F. Charnley, M. Moreno, M, Design for circular behaviour: considering users in a circular economy. Sustainability 10 (1743) (2018) 1-22.

DOI: 10.3390/su10061743

[25] D. Pearlmutter, D. Theochari, T. Nehls, P. Pinho, P. Piro, A. Korolova, S. Papaefthimiou, M.Carmen Garcia Mateo, C. Calheiros, I. Zluwa, U. Pitha, P. Schosseler, Y. Florentin, S. Ouannou, E. Gal, A. Aicher, K. Arnold, E. Igondová and B. Pucher, Enhancing the circular economy with nature-based solutions in the built urban environment: green building materials, systems and sites, Blue-Green Systems (2) 1, (2021) 47-71.

DOI: 10.2166/bgs.2019.928

[26] M. R. Munaro, S. F. Tavares, Materials passport's review: challenges and opportunities toward a circular economy building sector, Built Environment Project and Asset Management (2021) DOI 10.1108/BEPAM-02-2020-0027.

DOI: 10.1108/bepam-02-2020-0027

[27] F. Heisel, S. Rau-Oberhuber, Calculation and evaluation of circularity indicators for the built environment using the case studies of UMAR and Madaster, J. Clean. Prod. 243 (2020)118482.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118482

[28] T. Rau, S. Oberhuber, Material Matters, Edizioni Ambiente, Milano, (2018).

[29] S. Cristiano, P. Ghisellini, G. D'Ambrosio, J. Xue, A. Nesticò, F. Gonella, S. Ulgiati, Construction and demolition waste in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy: State of the art, circular design, and sustainable planning opportunities, J. Clean. Prod. 293 (2021) 125856.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.125856

[30] Legambiente, Rapporto dell'Osservatorio Recycle – Legambiente, available at: https://www.legambiente.it/sites/default/files/docs/cento_materiali_rapporto_osservatorio_recycle.pdf. Last accessed: 28/07/(2021).