Policy challenge

Technological progress has had negative effects as well as positive effects if it affects the life industry and the entire ecosystem significantly through the great consumption of natural resources, and here the construction sector in general and the health sector, in particular, have a role in this.

The Sustainable Facilities Tool from the U.S. General Services Administration supports facility managers, purchasing agents, designers, tenants, in decision making and action around efficient, healthy buildings and environmentally-responsible purchasing.

Capturing components and materials at the end of a building’s use phase requires a conscious decision at the design stage, so that the building is seen not only as an aesthetic and functional entity, but also a future material store. In Brummen in the Netherlands, a new town hall was needed, but there was concern that, due to shifting district boundaries, the building could become redundant in the foreseeable future. The municipality therefore decided to commission a building with a fixed service life of 20 years.

With approximately 70% of the UK’s non-residential building stock constructed before the year 2000, if energy and carbon targets are to be achieved, and the UK’s 2050 net zero targets realised, significant energy efficiency and embodied carbon reductions are needed. As a result, much of the sector will have to undergo some form of retrofit by 2050.

Value-based decision making is already in use in both government and private sector investment policy. A complementary new Flex Standard is now available for FREE download that describes the process of making and implementing value-based decisions in the built environment to drive better social, environmental and economic outcomes.

In Germany, according to the "Kreislaufwirfschaft Bau", 14.6 million tonnes of construction site waste were generated in 2014.  In a position paper, Glass for Europe estimate that float glass accounts for less than 1% of construction site waste.  Even this apparently small amount is not negligible as glass is predestined for closed-loop recycling.  The use of glass cullet not only conserves natural raw material resources, but also reduces the melting energy required, and thus, also the CO₂ emissions.

The construction industry’s inherent fragmentation fuels Construction Supply Chain (CSC) complexity. Logistics form an essential part of the CSC in terms of costs and project management. In turn, transportation accounts for more than half the logistics costs due to construction materials being low-cost/high-volume, and most other logistics processes being business processes and not physical ones.

Ecological restoration and the integration of a comprehensive greening approach has enhanced livelihood security for migrant settlers in the Minawao refugee camp in northern Cameroon. An ecologically sensitive approach to the management of natural resources and ecosystems has both increased environmental sustainability, and increased the quality of life and access to livelihood opportunities for local community members.

The Kurdistan region is currently undergoing rapid change and development in many ways. The economy is growing, and the population is increasing. Adopting a modern lifestyle is influencing individuals and social behavior. These factors are collectively affecting the architectural styles and construction techniques of the buildings.

Gypsum is widely used in the construction sector, and its worldwide consumption has been increasing for several decades. Depending on the lifetime of the used gypsum products, an increase of gypsum in construction and demolition waste follows. Especially against the background of a circular economy, the recycling of waste gypsum is of growing importance. However, the use of recycled gypsum only makes sense if it is environmentally friendly.