Pursuing a Circular Economy
EC3 Tool
The Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) is a free tool provided by the Carbon Leadership Forum. It is easy to use and allows for benchmarking, assessment, and reductions in embodied carbon, focused on the upfront supply-chain emissions of construction materials.
The Carbon Leadership Forum built the EC3 tool with input from nearly 50 industry partners, and utilizes building material quantities from construction estimates and/or BIM models and a robust database of digital, third-party-verified environmental product declarations (EPDs).
The EC3 tool can be used in both the design and procurement phases of a construction product and help review a project’s overall embodied carbon emissions. This allows the specifier to select and procure options that will produce the lowest amount of carbon.
The EC3 tool can also be used by owners, green building certification programs, and policymakers to help created EPD requirements based on supply-chain data and to set carbon limits and reductions at the construction material and product level.
This tool is having an impact on the industry by driving demand for low-carbon solutions and by incentivizing manufacturers and suppliers of construction materials to disclose information and provide transparency on which types of materials provide lower carbon emissions.
The main functions of the EC3 tool are to: find and compare materials, plan and compare buildings, declare products, and verify and audit.
The EC3 tool is hosted and managed by Building Transparency, a 501c3 organization that began in early 2020 to provide resources and education needed to ensure its adoption.
Building Transparency was established by leaders of the EC3 tool development team so that they could continue the management and development of the EC3 tool, as well as provide the resources and education necessary to ensure its adoption. Implementation of the EC3 tool is done by C-Change Labs, a software company dedicated to enabling climate change action.
Tools and Recycling Programs Implemented by Building Companies
In addition to tools created by government entities, associations, and collectives, individual companies have also created tools that can be used to help determine waste calculations and to specify projects to ensure long-term sustainability.
Materials and construction companies not only play a vital role in ensuring that recyclable or reusable materials are available, but they also have a responsibility to ensure that those materials can be safely and efficiently recycled, otherwise the building manager or contractor may not be as inclined to recycle or reuse.
In the design phase, a specifier or architect can consult with building companies ahead of time to learn about their recycling programs. When it is time to recycle, contact the manufacturer of the building to see what options are available and to understand the steps involved to recycle materials.
Each manufacturer may have requirements or stipulations to participate in its recycling program. It might also provide a list of steps to take to prepare the materials before they can be recycled. For example, a manufacturer may stipulate that materials containing asbestos or that have been installed below asbestos-containing materials cannot be recycled. It may also specify not to send any products that are wet, moldy, or weathered. Materials might not be allowed to come back on pallets with debris, garbage, or construction waste.
At the time of demolition, it is the responsibility of the building owner and the contractor to coordinate demolition work, especially work related to but not limited to building insulation, gypsum board, light fixtures, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and sprinklers.
Conclusion
A circular economy is based on the philosophy of extracting the maximum value from each resource available and then establishing a system that encourages the best use, reuse, and replenishment of natural resources possible. By specifying high-quality materials that are built to last and can be recycled at the end of their useful life and by shrinking waste, we can reduce greenhouse gases and get the most out of every material used in a building’s life cycle.
CEILING RECYCLING PROGRAM CASE STUDY #1
Photos courtesy of Armstrong World Industries
At One Market Plaza in San Francisco (left), ceiling tiles were diverted from the landfill to Armstrong World Industries for recycling (right).
Project: One Market Plaza
Location: San Francisco
The Challenge: When DPR Construction began renovating 250,000 square feet of office space at One Market Plaza in San Francisco, recycling the construction waste that would come out of the building during demolition was top of mind. Google, the search engine company that would occupy the space in the existing building, wanted its new offices to meet the green building standards required for certification under the LEED v4 rating system. To meet the LEED v4 criteria for Construction Waste Management credits, DPR Demolition, the contractor on the project, needed to divert 50–75 percent of the construction debris away from landfills.
The Solution: Through past experience with the ceiling system manufacturer, DPR knew it could recycle the old ceilings removed during demolition. The company’s Ceiling Recycling Program enables building owners and contractors to salvage used ceiling panels from renovation and demolition projects and return them to the nearest plant as an alternative to landfill disposal. The manufacturer uses the reclaimed ceilings to make new ceiling panels in a closed-loop manufacturing process.
After removing the used ceiling panels, DPR placed them in containers furnished by Recology, which provides trash collection services to commercial buildings in downtown San Francisco. When the containers were full, Recology delivered the ceiling panels to Waste Management, a recycling partner of the manufacturer in nearby Oakland, where they were processed and made ready for pickup by the manufacturer.
Despite the fact that the two trash-hauling companies are direct competitors, Mike Scott of DPR Demolition convinced the business rivals to work together to make the recycling project a success. “This is a huge breakthrough with getting two direct competitors to work together to help us achieve this goal,” he explains. “Hopefully, this will open the door to more ceiling recycling on future projects.”
Working with the manufacturer’s Recycling Center, DPR was able to recycle 101,859 square feet of old ceilings instead of dumping them in a landfill, helping to meet the waste-diversion goals for the project. By recycling the old ceilings, DPR diverted roughly 50 tons of construction waste—the equivalent of more than 5,000 tires—away from the local landfill. Scott says, “Having the ceiling manufacturer as a partner in recycling the old ceilings has been a really great marriage that has helped us in our goals to be a LEED and green contractor.”
CEILING RECYCLING PROGRAM CASE STUDY #2
Photo courtesy of Armstrong World Industries
When renovating the new Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago, old ceiling tiles from the interior demolition were recycled to help meet the project's waste-diversion goals.
Project: Conrad Hotel
Location: Chicago
The Challenge: When converting an 18-story office building into a 284-room Conrad Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago, CBRE Development Management Services wanted the five-star luxury hotel to meet the high green building standards required for LEED certification. The renovation required that the interior of the existing 227,569-square-foot building be demolished. To earn the maximum number of LEED credit points available for Construction Waste Management, CBRE needed to find ways to divert most of the construction waste away from landfills.
The Solution: A large part of the construction waste consisted of old ceiling panels. Leveraging its existing partnership with the manufacturer through its preferred vendor program, CBRE was able to meet one of its waste-diversion goals by recycling the old ceiling panels through the the manufacturer’s Ceiling Recycling Program. The program enables building owners and contractors to salvage ceiling panels that are removed during renovation and demolition projects and return them to the nearest plant instead of landfill disposal. The manufacturer uses the reclaimed ceilings to make new ceiling panels in a closed-loop manufacturing process.
The demolition crew placed the old ceiling panels in containers provided by Independent Recycling Services, a recycling partner of the manufacturer in Chicago. “This process with was as easy as our regular demolition,” says Brian Duddy of BreakThru Demolition. “We removed the ceiling panels, loaded them in a designated dumpster, and they were taken away. Nothing additional needed to be done for processing or pickup.”
By the time the demolition was complete, 220,000 square feet of old ceiling panels were returned to the manufacturer for recycling. Roughly 110 tons of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Three weeks of demolition time was saved, and LEED credits were earned for waste diversion. “The key benefit is waste-diversion cost savings,” says CBRE Development Director Michael Tobin. “It is a long-term value to save money on demolition, but it is also nice for the environment.”
End Notes
1Breene, Keith. “Can the circular economy transform the world’s number one consumer of raw materials?” World Economic Forum. 4 May 2016. Web. 14 May 2020.
2R.W. Beck Inc. “U.S. Recycling Economic Information Study.” National Recycling Coalition. July 2001. Web. 14 May 2020.
3“Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Recycling and Composting.”
Jessica Jarrard is an independent writer and editor focusing on health, science, and technology. She contributes to continuing education courses and publications through Confluence Communications. www.confluencec.com
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