It’s no longer a client instructing a supplier.
Product as a service.Product hire allows products to be used multiple times during their life across a number of different buildings and applications.
This means the product is used more times over its life, making it more worthwhile to manufacture and reducing the number needed, which equates to a more sustainable construction practice.. Take-back schemes, where manufacturers and suppliers will take back products and materials at the end of their life, enable waste to be minimised and known materials to be recycled within the production process.This reduces raw material requirements for new products.. Minimise impact and waste for sustainable construction.Use low impact materials by considering the environmental impact at specification stage, alongside cost and technical considerations.
This also includes the manufacturing location of materials and the transportation distance to site..The recycled content of materials should be maximised without significantly impacting the technical characteristics of the material..
Designing out waste can be achieved with clever and simple use of materials, eg.
altering the centre point of ceiling tiles to limit offcuts to a single side of the room, rather than both sides..Although there wasn’t a focus on recycling outside of the factory, there seemed to be many more potential solutions in this area.
With the right segregation, there are opportunities for waste management companies to work with manufacturers to find both technically and economically sound solutions to recycle back into manufacturing and/or into other supply chains.Although not without issues, there was a strong sense that further conversations between manufacturers and the waste management industry to create new productive circular economies would be fruitful.. Strategy co-development to identify supplies of new solvents to support growing technologies – and growth in shared geographies – could foster new, efficient, and sustainable solvent supply and recycling routes.. Techno-economic modelling is seen as a vital component in guiding short-, medium and longer-term decision making on solvents.. As the chemical market changes alongside fiscal policies, understanding how to stay cost-effective and adaptable will be important.
If this kind of analysis, or at least the insights from it, could be shared widely with the industry it could help accelerate interest and action, particularly in the generics ecosystem..Problem solving in the room.