Materials passport's review: challenges and opportunities toward a circular economy building sector
Built Environment Project and Asset Management
ISSN: 2044-124X
Article publication date: 29 April 2021
Issue publication date: 21 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Reuse and recycling building materials depend on an efficient set of information and tracking, which can be obtained by the materials passport (MP) tool. Although MP introduces principles of circular economy (CE) and brings environmental, social and economic benefits, it is little-explored in the construction sector. The purpose of this study is to explore the adoption of the MP in the sector to raise awareness about this tool. This analysis leads to the conception of a model and identifies the main challenges and opportunities to increase MP implementation in the sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a systematic literature review, based on the descriptive and thematic analysis, articles were selected, and analyzed to (1) review the MP state-of-the-art in the construction sector; (2) propose a materials passport model and (3) list the main challenges and opportunities to MP adoption.
Findings
The studies about MP were concentrated on strategies to implement general concepts and business opportunities. The MP model was proposed to overcome the lack of studies and understanding showed in the review. The model aimed to improve the recovery and reuse of materials across a building's life cycle. Challenges and opportunities were raised to direct decision-makers and support the development of this tool. A systematic regulation in the construction value chain and policy systems is crucial for creating digital platforms for data management of buildings' material.
Originality/value
This study developed an MP model to enable the management of building materials at different stages of the building's life cycle and contributes to future developments of the studies on this knowledge domain.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Postgraduate Program in Civil Construction Engineering (PPGECC) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for financial support.
Disclosure statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Citation
Munaro, M.R. and Tavares, S.F. (2021), "Materials passport's review: challenges and opportunities toward a circular economy building sector", Built Environment Project and Asset Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 767-782. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-02-2020-0027
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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