Brief
Discover how the construction industry is innovating with recycled plastic to reduce global emissions. Learn how plastic waste is being transformed into sustainable building materials, paving the way for a greener future.
Insight
The annual 400 million tonnes of plastic waste produced globally, most of which ends up in landfills, could be a boon for the construction industry. According to a 2022 report by Strategy&, PwC’s consulting division, the construction sector contributed 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, a figure that could be significantly reduced by integrating recycled plastic into building materials.
Recycled plastics can play a dual role in reducing emissions. Firstly, they facilitate enhanced recycling and reuse of existing materials, such as using plastic waste to create ‘green’ concrete. Secondly, they offer an alternative to high-emission materials like brick or steel.
Despite initial resistance due to misconceptions like toxicity in case of fire, acceptance of plastics as a building material is growing, supported by evidence like declining fire fatalities in Western Europe over the past two decades, even as plastic usage in construction has doubled.
Europe leads the world in utilising recycled plastics, with almost half of post-consumer recycled plastic employed in building and construction. The advantages of plastic in construction materials include lighter weight, easier transport, handling, and installation, preservation of mechanical properties, long shelf life, and enhanced recyclability.
Innovations like Ohio-based Shini USA’s structural wood and Rutgers University’s “structural plastic lumber” made from recycled plastics demonstrate the potential of plastic beyond being a concrete additive or brick substitute. Over 1.5 million plastic lumber railway ties have been used across the U.S., thereby diverting approximately 300 million pounds of plastic waste from landfills.
Not all plastic waste is chemically identical; some may be better suited as shredded filler for asphalt or pyrolysed to produce fuel. However, all polymers are technically 100% recyclable, with some having a perfect cradle-to-cradle lifecycle.
In 2022, the construction industry used nearly 25% of all converted plastics across the European Union. North America lags significantly, requiring greater political will and investment to increase the ratio of plastic waste to reused plastic. With the Department of Energy announcing $13.4 million in funding for the development of more recyclable and biodegradable plastics in 2022, the U.S. construction industry appears well-positioned to benefit from such advancements.
Highlight
- According to a 2022 report by Strategy&, PwC’s consulting division, the construction sector contributed 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019,
- Firstly, they facilitate enhanced recycling and reuse of existing materials, such as using plastic waste to create ‘green’ concrete. Secondly, they offer an alternative to high-emission materials like brick or steel.
- The advantages of plastic in construction materials include lighter weight, easier transport, handling, and installation, preservation of mechanical properties, long shelf life, and enhanced recyclability.
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