Assessing material reuse; a framework for practicality and financial feasibility from suppliers’ perspective

Abstract

The construction sector is today a large contributor to the environmental impact in Sweden and the world. It is evident that the industry is facing structural changes over the coming years to minimize the environmental impact. Reusing materials and components have been on the uprise as one of the solutions to this problem and have gained attention the last years. The research in the area is immature, especially regarding information about the suppliers of materials. Therefore, this study aims at researching what materials are the most practical and profitable to reuse from a supplier’s perspective. First, the definition and concept of reuse have been investigated thoroughly since the vocabulary used today is often vague and differs depending on the situation and organisation. To further analyse different materials and their reuse potential a framework was developed based on a literature study to account for the most important supply and demand aspects as well as the financial aspects that affect the process of using different materials as reused. Some key areas were identified in the framework such as, environmental impact, logistical aspects and procurement of materials. To develop a result, 14 interviews was conducted divided between different types of actors in the industry. These interviews was the foundation of the results and were complemented by quantitative and informal data to provide a more comprehensive result. The study was able to develop a graphic system for evaluating different materials and therefore grade these materials based on their practicality and profitability in the area of reuse. The conclusion is that there are many materials suitable for reuse such as, paving materials, temporary materials, saved materials, furnishing and trim, but also materials that should be avoided, for example boards and insulation. In addition to this, several drivers for reuse were identified and included topics such as who the client is, the importance of definitions, and the market position of the supplier. The study shows that it is evident that reuse is something that everyone in the construction industry is going to be involved with. It is also a certainty that the suppliers in the construction industry are necessary to develop a functioning reuse system and that they should get involved rather sooner than later