A Bright Future for Sustainable Materials

Exploring Global Trends in Sustainable Materials Kicking off 2025

More people are becoming interested in building with sustainable materials, since doing so can reduce waste and negative environmental impacts. What are some options used worldwide that are attracting attention this year?

1. Self-Healing Materials

Many people are interested in materials capable of repairing themselves after developing cracks or other damage. Keeping the world’s infrastructure functional and safe requires considerable resources, and budgets and labor shortages may mean tackling known issues takes longer than desired. What if products could recognize problems and act automatically to fix affected areas?

Progressing With High-Tech Concrete and Nature-Inspired Materials

Researchers have focused on developing such solutions for years, although some never became commercially viable. However, some options have recently become more accessible.

One example is Basilisk self-healing concrete, developed in The Netherlands and launched in the United States in October 2024 after extensive use in the Middle East, Europe, and Japan. The material’s autonomous crack-repair technology reduces downtime and related expenses. It even lowers CO2 emissions; people can install it without steel reinforcements or waterproof coatings.

Teams at the same Dutch university responsible for Basilisk concrete have also examined nature-inspired self-healing materials. Many things in the natural world must withstand harsh conditions, including temperature extremes, damage, and storms.

Researchers are working on a 3D composite of fungal cells and wood, paying particular attention to the Ganoderma lucidum fungus. It has numerous characteristics favorable to sustainable construction, including self-healing capabilities and robust climate tolerance.

2. Materials Chosen With Circular Economy Principles

The circular economy centers on keeping products in use for as long as possible through thoughtful design and repairability features. These goods are also easy to recycle once they are no longer useful.

Furthering the Circular Economy in Canada

Construction professionals, eco-conscious consumers attempting home improvement projects, and others are exploring how to remain mindful of the circular economy when choosing materials.

Canada’s Construction Plastics Initiative is a pilot program based in Vancouver aiming to minimize construction site waste. It involves conscious oversight of plastic waste collection and sorting activities. Suitable materials go to a recycling center, where workers transform them into pellets.

One potential building application is to use those pieces in a voided concrete system for floor and wall slabs. This approach reduces material consumption while creating structural integrity.

Numerous industry leaders and a local zero-waste committee have endorsed the Vancouver initiative, which should help other parties realize transitioning to the circular economy is a reachable goal.

Constructing a Repurposable German Coworking Space

Some construction industry examples push the boundaries, encouraging people who see them to think creatively. Germany’s CRCLR House is on the property of a former brewery, and those who constructed it are already thinking about its subsequent use. They built it to allow easy disassembly of the structure and its components, retaining their original shape and quality.

The building is now a co-working space featuring paint-free walls with exposed joints and wiring. Estimates indicate approximately 70% of the building’s materials were sustainably sourced or reused. Sinks were taken from a campsite, and some of the building’s timber came from an art installation. When material reuse was impossible, those involved in the construction did the next best thing by choosing low-carbon options.

These solutions emphasize innovative ways to prioritize circularity rather than enabling waste.

3. Antique Wood

Construction project planning requires budgets to accommodate changes between when work starts and finishes. Factors such as material and labor shortages, economic conditions, and societal trends could cause some materials to cost more than people initially expected. For example, January 2025 data from the United States showed lumber prices were more than 8% higher than a year ago.

Even if people prioritize sustainability while selecting materials, they may have other things on their minds, including keeping costs down. One solution is to choose antique wood rather than automatically budgeting for new materials.

In addition to the cost-saving and eco-friendly advantages, this material often has lots of character, making it ideal for creating conversation-starting pieces and encouraging houseguests to think of alternative ways to find the wood they need.

Preserving wood is also ideal for people working on historical homes or notable sites. Keeping as much of the original material as possible gives visitors a glimpse of how things were hundreds of years ago, and these materials tend to be more robust. Old-growth trees have closer ring spacing than younger ones, which makes them comparatively more resistant to pests and rot.

Retaining the Wood of a Home With a Fascinating History

One couple discovered their new home was built in 1954 by the first Black doctor hired at Los Angeles County General Hospital — the residence was a dream home for his wife, a writer and TV personality who often invited celebrities and notable community members to visit.

The buyers fell in love with the property partly because of the beautiful wood throughout and decided to retain as much as possible during a planned remodel. They knew the original occupants envisioned the material selection and applications in specific ways and put emotion into those choices.

Saving the woodwork was a priority for the original occupants’ niece, who inherited it. Although the new owners refinished some of the interior material, they upheld the goal with beauty and thoughtfulness, expertly weaving historical aspects with modern ones. Through this story, the family brought greater awareness of using and reclaiming materials and using them sustainably.