{"id":5592,"date":"2016-08-01T15:36:23","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T05:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edgeenvironment.com\/?p=5592"},"modified":"2019-09-27T13:58:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T03:58:33","slug":"building-circular-economy-one-brick-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edgeenvironment.com\/us\/2016\/08\/01\/building-circular-economy-one-brick-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Building the circular economy ‘one brick at a time’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Circular<\/p>\n

A transition to the circular economy is vital for all industries. The\u00a0building products industry is one of the most important, due to the large amounts of materials used and levels of waste that can be created locally, during all phases from production to construction.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

What is industrial ecology?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Industrial ecology is concerned with transforming\u00a0the flow of materials from linear to closed-loop systems, allowing waste to become input for new processes and products. This concept is aligned with that of the \u2018circular economy\u2019, which seeks to maximise the productivity of resources such as materials, water and energy.<\/p>\n

These two things are needed to make industrial ecology work:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Resources data<\/li>\n
  2. Expertise in innovation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When aligned\u00a0with commercial drivers, the best projects both \u2018save the planet\u2019 and save the \u2018bottom line\u2019.<\/p>\n

    The building industry: a move to zero waste<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Items such as bricks, gypsum board and windows are often\u00a0manufactured domestically,\u00a0partly\u00a0because their bulky nature makes them hard\u00a0to transport.\u00a0This is good\u00a0news for the circular economy, as it\u2019s easier to manage supply chains and monitor adherence to voluntary producer responsibility schemes from a local standpoint.<\/p>\n

    We\u2019re already seeing a more \u2018circular\u2019 future in the building products sector \u2013 many companies are committed to recycling their own site waste; others are dedicated to minimising waste creation in the first place, then improving the productivity of their resources over their lifetime.<\/p>\n

    Exciting examples of circular thinking<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Globally, we\u2019ve seen strong evidence of\u00a0circular thinking from major international players:<\/p>\n