Constructing a sustainable future: Applying circular economy principles to material selection

To keep up with Australia’s growing population, the demand for housing, commercial buildings, social spaces and infrastructure is increasing at a rapid rate. However, there is concern that this increasing pace of construction may cost us the Earth. Globally, construction is responsible for an estimated third of the world's overall waste, and at least 40% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. The Australian construction and demolition sector alone generates nearly 30 million tonnes of waste annually. If we want to reduce the quantity of waste and emissions generated during the construction process, we need to take a closer look at the life cycle of the products we build with. The circular economy provides us the framework to decouple building design and construction from the consumption of finite resources.

Constructing a Sustainable Future: Applying Circular Economy Principles to Material Selection examines the circular economy model, its significance, and the tactics that designers and architects may implement to benefit businesses, people and the environment. We highlight the key circular principles and how they apply to selecting building materials. We also see circularity in action with a real-life case study discussing a circularity analysis conducted on Weathertex cladding.

When it comes to circular principles, Weathertex is an industry leader. Operating in NSW since 1939, the family-owned Australian cladding company manufactures all its Weathertex boards using waste timber sourced from Australian, PEFC-certified harvesters and controlled sources. The manufacturing process of all Weathertex products minimises waste by-products through resource recovery systems.

Download this whitepaper and learn how circular principles can be used to assess materials and product manufacturers and help the construction sector transition to a circular economy.