Innovative Materials Paving the Way for Eco-Friendly Construction

The movement toward greener construction has allowed for innovative solutions to emerge. Sustainability is now at the forefront of building decisions, and the industry is making strides to offset its carbon footprint. Experts in the sector are exploring some of the most advanced technologies to make construction more eco-friendly.

Make Way for Mass Timber

Mass timber is rapidly gaining recognition as a low-carbon alternative to the ubiquitous use of concrete and steel. It’s a relatively new category of wood products produced by mechanically nailing or gluing multiple solid wood panels to create larger structural building components. 

Unlike traditional high-carbon materials such as concrete and steel, mass timber is a carbon sink that captures carbon in the atmosphere and stores it in the wood. Mass timber buildings are reported to have up to 94% lower global warming potential (GWP) than concrete buildings and 91% lower GWP than steel structures. These buildings can be constructed faster and with less waste, significantly reducing carbon emissions.

Mycelium-Composite Insulation

Mushrooms and construction don’t always go together, but advancements in insulation using mycelium are starting to change that. The fungal mycelium is the root-like structure of a mushroom. When dried, it becomes durable and shows mold-, water- and fire-resistant properties. Mixed with lignocellulosic materials like sawdust, the two create a lightweight, hydrophobic and thermally insulating composite — an excellent alternative for traditional petroleum-based plastics like expanded polystyrene (EPS).

Highly porous mycelium composites demonstrate an impressive energy absorption of 32 kJm−3 — this, along with its cushioning effect and thermal conductivity, make it a flexible material that can be used in various industrial applications. Mycelium-based biocomposite materials aren’t used at a massive scale yet, but they are gaining popularity and will likely become a preferred alternative.

Advancements in Concrete

Concrete has long been a construction staple, but massive environmental impact forces the industry to rethink how to improve it. Cement production generates a staggering 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, making up 8% of the world’s emissions. Fortunately, innovations are helping mitigate this impact.

Kaolin Mineral White Cement

Kaolin is a naturally occurring clay mineral used to produce heat-resistant materials without breaking down. This material is perfect for creating refractory bricks and insulation. Minerals found in kaolin can improve its refractory performance — a higher aluminum content enhances fire resistance, while iron, titanium and potassium maintain durability. 

3D Printed Concrete

3D printing usually benefits industries with manufacturing and prototyping needs. However, 3D-printed concrete is making waves in construction. The technology allows experts to design components as massive printers print them to life, making building more productive. 

The building value chain contributes as much as 37% of global carbon emissions. 3D printing can help reduce that as builders will no longer have to transport materials. They can create structures faster, reducing carbon emissions and producing less waste in the process.

Self-Healing Concrete

Another exciting development is the advent of self-healing concrete. Capsules containing healing agents are mixed into the concrete to repair cracks as they occur over time. Since they’re porous, the capsules react with moisture and air to form a new material that fills the cracks and restores the concrete’s structural integrity. This adds to its impermeability, lengthens the life of structures and reduces maintenance costs.

Precast Concrete

This type of concrete is produced off-site by pouring concrete into a mold, curing it in the manufacturer’s facility and transporting the precast product to the construction site. It’s a more sustainable option to site-cast concrete because manufacturing requires significantly less energy and materials. The molds used in precast concrete production can also be reused, thereby reducing the waste associated with construction. 

Bendable Concrete

Bendable concrete sounds impossible, as the material is known to be brittle and breakable. However, mixing polymer-derived fibers into the concrete forms a microstructure that withstands bending and enhances ductility. Also known as Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC), bendable concrete is shock-absorbent and resistant to cracking, reducing the need for maintenance and repairs.

Green Construction Materials Is Key to Building an Eco-Friendly Tomorrow

As the construction industry continues pursuing green initiatives, new materials will emerge to solve the sector’s most pressing needs. From enhancing traditional staples like concrete to creating new products from the most unexpected matters, these sustainable innovations help lower the industry’s carbon footprint while also creating safer, more resilient structures. The future of eco-friendly construction hinges on adopting these groundbreaking materials, which pave the way for a greener, more sustainable tomorrow.

Is Reshoring Manufacturing Good for the Environment?

Supply chains and manufacturing outfits have had to invent creative solutions to various concerns. Many external factors influence operations. Material delays, labor shortages, and even sociopolitical events make manufacturing volatile. 

One of the best options for corporations is to keep as many branches of the business as close to home as possible. This is called reshoring, and it can help provide companies with stability — but does it improve sustainability as well?

What Is Reshoring in Manufacturing?

Most manufacturers have aspects of their business all over the world. Reshoring in manufacturing is the process of bringing everything back to the country where headquarters are located. After a successful reshoring process, no employees or components will be overseas.

Most businesses that undergo reshoring do so for these reasons:

> Shortening lead times from international transportation

> Streamlining supply chains

> Taking advantage of government incentives

> Creating products made from local resources

> Offering more jobs to nearby citizens

Financial reasons also inspire reshoring initiatives. It’s expensive to ship materials and products internationally. Having operations nearby also eliminates expensive permitting, tariffs, and other miscellaneous fees from crossing borders. 

Additionally, companies are seeing reshoring’s potential in amplifying environmental efforts. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of Reshoring?

The motivations may make it seem like the advantages far outweigh the cons, but there are arguments for both sides.

Pros

Reshoring boosts local economies by providing more jobs and keeping money within communities. Many manufacturing companies have positions where skilled and unskilled workers could thrive, reducing unemployment. It also allows people to learn skills in bustling industries without higher education.

Having operations closer to home also allows stakeholders to monitor quality control closely. It’s impossible to oversee every step of the production process when half is thousands of miles away. Now, management teams can see how everything affects quality, from safety adherence to technical issues, and have total autonomy in changing it with internal staff.

Finally, reshoring boosts supply chain resilience, meaning companies are less susceptible to outside risks. In 2021, around 1,800 tech companies alone, especially in the semiconductor industry, reshored efforts because of pandemic-related disruptions. Global disruptions, political distress, and natural disasters on international coasts have less impact.

Cons

Bringing work back to local soil will likely increase labor costs. Outsourcing tends to be cheaper, but reshoring allows companies to feed more money into long-term talent and pay them an ethical wage. It may disrupt budgets, but profit margins tend to recover after reshoring.

This brings up another disadvantage — the high cost of the transition. The upfront investment in labor, facilities, equipment, and training initially makes the idea expensive. Manufacturers must create projections of future savings from logistical challenges to justify the immense costs of reshoring. It will keep the transition moving. 

Reshoring will also minimize companies’ access to international markets. Having hands in multiple nations means greater supplier diversity and cultural ideas to embed into operations. Reshoring does limit this global access. However, that doesn’t mean global perspectives are inaccessible. Accessing them requires effort and collaboration.

How Does Reshoring Impact the Environment?

Here’s how this move impacts the planet.

Negatives

Corporations are incorporating more technologies, which may or may not have negative impacts on the environment. This includes increased energy use or environmental destruction by building new infrastructure. Fortunately, reshoring mitigates some of these drawbacks. Many install tech to encourage further decarbonization by gaining insights on carbon emissions, waste generation, resource consumption, and more.

Resource consumption could also generate problems. Manufacturers would rely more on the region to provide the materials they need to succeed. This could put unprecedented pressure on natural resources. Overcoming this requires tight communications with local businesses providing these resources so they can scale and prepare for spiked demand.

Positives

Reshoring reduces carbon footprints by an average of 25%-50% for several reasons. Greater access encourages accountability to produce less waste and higher-quality products. Reshoring also keeps products closer to the consumer, so transportation produces fewer negative impacts.

It also means more manufacturers follow consistent environmental standards. Compliance frameworks are not the same in every nation. Some are stricter than others, so some aspects of outsourced operations could become more sustainable if reshored to somewhere with higher standards. As a by-product, manufacturers could produce fewer pollutants and enhance social equity.

This could also make productions more transparent about their sustainable commitments. The higher visibility over what every branch of the company is doing makes it easier to institute and enforce environmental shifts.

Reshoring for Sustainability

Reshoring has proven beneficial for companies and communities. Now, it’s only getting better because it is helping the planet recover from manufacturing’s impact. In the coming years, it could be the most successful way to cut emissions while boosting competitiveness.

5 Effective Strategies for Steel Sustainability

Today’s world runs on steel, but the metal carries a hefty carbon footprint. As infrastructure projects and manufacturing grow, a more sustainable way to produce steel will be necessary to ensure a better future for the planet.

Steel production accounts for roughly 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and the world produces 2 billion tons annually. Thankfully, businesses won’t need to eliminate the metal from their supply chains to reduce its environmental impact — such a change wouldn’t be viable, anyway. Here are ways to make steel more sustainable.

1. Renewable Energy

The most straightforward and important strategy is to address the steel industry’s energy sources. Up to 75% of steel’s power consumption comes from often coal-fired furnaces, making iron and steel the world’s second-largest coal consumer. This reliance on fossil fuels leaves significant room for improvement from renewables.

Electrifying furnaces is the first step, and many foundries have already switched to electric equipment to save money. From there, steel manufacturers should look for renewable sources of this electricity. Rooftop solar is an elegant solution, though facilities in some areas may need to purchase green energy from other regions.

Hydrogen generators are a promising alternative. Fuel cells can work anywhere, produce no emissions other than heat and water, and avoid wind and solar intermittency problems. However, manufacturers must ensure their hydrogen comes from renewable sources, as many hydrogen-making processes rely on fossil fuels.

2. Supply Chain Optimization

Next, steelmakers can examine their supply chains. Even if smelting and refining use 100% clean energy, mining the iron and other base metals necessary is often hard on the environment. Long shipping routes may also lead to high vehicle-related emissions.

Sustainable mining is difficult, but several technologies pave the way forward. Electric equipment and hydrogen generators can reduce on-site emissions, while precision drilling minimizes environmental disturbances. Waste monitoring and post-dig rehabilitation can help companies take better care of the ecosystem around the mine to prevent damage.

Reshoring is another crucial supply chain improvement. Moving operations closer to home has a 25% to 50% decarbonization potential, thanks to lower vehicle emissions and greater insight into partners. Steel producers should also look for logistics partners using electric fleets.

3. Energy-Efficient Tooling

The transition to clean power and eco-friendly supply chains will be easier if manufacturers need less energy in the first place. Consequently, upgrading to more efficient equipment can also help make steel sustainable.

Furnace improvements are among the most impactful. Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) produce 78% fewer carbon emissions than conventional blast furnaces. As technology progresses, EAFs and similar machinery will become increasingly efficient, too, leading to even greater reductions in power-related carbon emissions.

Even seemingly minor changes can have a significant impact. Trimming steel with circular saw blades, for example, leads to lower energy consumption and faster cutting, letting manufacturers produce the same amount in less time while consuming less power.

4. Recycling and Reuse

Material reuse is another critical step toward sustainable steel. While mining may have a large carbon footprint, steel and its base metals are highly recyclable. Steelmakers would significantly reduce their supply chain emissions by turning to recycled feedstocks before ordering more virgin metals.

For this strategy to reach its full potential, manufacturers will need to work closely with downstream supply chain partners. Providing end users with easier ways to recycle steel products and streamlining the process of breaking old items down into their base materials is necessary for wide-scale recycling.

Conversely, manufacturers can reduce the demand for virgin steel by creating longer-lasting metals, leading to fewer replacements. Galvanized steel is a promising resource, as it prevents corrosion by self-healing through a zinc coating.

5. Carbon Capture

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is the final piece of the sustainable steel puzzle. Collecting and storing or offsetting any existing emissions could let manufacturers lower their environmental impact before they can feasibly switch to zero-emissions processes.

CCS solutions must capture at least 90% of the CO2 from exhaust fumes to be a worthwhile investment. While this figure may seem high, some installations today can reach over 95% efficiency. Further research and development could push it even further.

Similarly, carbon offsets could buy the steel industry time before larger-scale improvements are technologically or financially viable. These solutions must only be a stepping stone, though. They’re a helpful way to reduce emissions in the meantime but aren’t green enough to be a long-term solution.

Sustainable Steel Is Possible

Much of the world’s steel is far from sustainable, but it can be in the future. Foundries already have the technology necessary to reduce their carbon footprint significantly. While industry-wide change may take time, starting today can push the world in the right direction.

These five strategies are just a few ways manufacturers can reduce their steel’s embodied carbon. Implementing these fixes today while considering further steps down the road could be a huge help to the environment.