Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review

© The Author(s) 2020. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Rakhshan, K., Morel, J.-C., Alaka, H., & Charef, R. (2020). Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review. Waste Management & Research, 38(4), 347–370 by Sage Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. It is available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X20910463.Widespread reuse of building components can promote the circularity of materials in the building sector. However, the reuse ofbuilding components is not yet a mainstream practise. Although there have been several studies on the factors affecting the reuse ofbuilding components, there is no single study that has tried to harmonize the circumstances affecting this intervention. Through asystematic literature review targeting peer-reviewed journal articles, this study intends to identify and stratify factors affecting thereuse of components of the superstructure of a building and eventually delineate correlations between these factors. Factors identifiedthroughout this study are classified into six major categories and 23 sub-categories. Then the inter-dependencies between the barriersare studied by developing the correlation indices between the sub-categories. Results indicate that addressing the economic, socialand regulatory barriers should be prioritized. Although the impact of barriers under perception, risk, compliance and market subcategoriesare very pronounced, the highest inter-dependency among the sub-categories is found between perception and risk. Itsuggests that the perception of the stakeholders about building components reuse is affected by the potential risks associated with thisintervention.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Enhancing pharmaceutical packaging through a technology ecosystem to facilitate the reuse of medicines and reduce medicinal waste

The idea of reusing dispensed medicines is appealing to the general public provided its benefits are illustrated, its risks minimized, and the logistics resolved. For example, medicine reuse could help reduce medicinal waste, protect the environment and improve public health. However, the associated technologies and legislation facilitating medicine reuse are generally not available. The availability of suitable technologies could arguably help shape stakeholders’ beliefs and in turn, uptake of a future medicine reuse scheme by tackling the risks and facilitating the practicalities. A literature survey is undertaken to lay down the groundwork for implementing technologies on and around pharmaceutical packaging in order to meet stakeholders’ previously expressed misgivings about medicine reuse (’stakeholder requirements’), and propose a novel ecosystem for, in effect, reusing returned medicines. Methods: A structured literature search examining the application of existing technologies on pharmaceutical packaging to enable medicine reuse was conducted and presented as a narrative review. Results: Reviewed technologies are classified according to different stakeholders’ requirements, and a novel ecosystem from a technology perspective is suggested as a solution to reusing medicines. Conclusion: Active sensing technologies applying to pharmaceutical packaging using printed electronics enlist medicines to be part of the Internet of Things network. Validating the quality and safety of returned medicines through this network seems to be the most effective way for reusing medicines and the correct application of technologies may be the key enabler

Supporting 'design for reuse' with modular design

Engineering design reuse refers to the utilization of any knowledge gained from the design activity to support future design. As such, engineering design reuse approaches are concerned with the support, exploration, and enhancement of design knowledge prior, during, and after a design activity. Modular design is a product structuring principle whereby products are developed with distinct modules for rapid product development, efficient upgrades, and possible reuse (of the physical modules). The benefits of modular design center on a greater capacity for structuring component parts to better manage the relation between market requirements and the designed product. This study explores the capabilities of modular design principles to provide improved support for the engineering design reuse concept. The correlations between modular design and 'reuse' are highlighted, with the aim of identifying its potential to aid the little-supported process of design for reuse. In fulfilment of this objective the authors not only identify the requirements of design for reuse, but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support design for reuse

Is the Industrial Product-Service System Really Sustainable

As the product-service system has shifted from its original concept to the Industrial PSS, its scope has expanded to include industrial products. Furthermore, the overall goal of reducing environmental impacts has been left behind. Despite the PSS's potential as a business model for a more sustainable production and consumption system, the mere addition of services to conventional products does not necessarily lead to a reduction of environmental impacts. This paper aims to discuss the concepts related to PSS, the need for considering environmental impact reduction as a critical issue for sustainability, and the role of ecodesign practices in the development of PSS

End-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling management: improving performance using an ISM approach

With booming of the automobile industry, China has become the country with increasing car ownership all over the world. However, the end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling industry is at infancy, and there is little systematic review on ELV recycling management, as well as low adoption amongst domestic automobile industry. This study presents a literature review and an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach is employed to identify the drivers towards Chinese ELV recycling business from government, recycling organizations and consumer’s perspectives, so as to improve the sustainability of automobile supply chain by providing some strategic insights. The results derived from the ISM analysis manifest that regulations on auto-factory, disassembly technique, and value mining of recycling business are the essential ingredients. It is most effective and efficient to promote ELV recycling business by improving these attributes, also the driving and dependence power analysis are deemed to provide guidance on performance improvement of ELV recycling in the Chinese market

Sustainable product development strategies: Business planning and performance implications

Copyright © 2012 by Institution of Mechanical Engineers. This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below.Manufacturing firms are under many financial and competitive pressures which focus attention on the performance of their manufacturing processes. In this paper the opportunities for improving the environmental impact of products within the constraints of existing manufacturing infrastructure are examined. Approaches which support sustainability in two aspects are proposed, firstly, the provision of products to the users in ways which extend the product life and secondly, manufacturing approaches which reduce resource usage. This paper outlines three different sustainable development strategies for different product types and describes the cost implications for manufacturers across the life-cycle. The performance measures affected by these strategies are examined drawing on product development case studies from a number of high technology sectors to highlight the different approaches taken. The results are intended to aid manufacturers during the earliest stages of business planning to consider alternative product development approaches which are more sustainable

Instruments for the promotion of a sustainability oriented management of waste by inter-industrial coordination within an industrial region

The raise of material efficiency is of special importance in the provision of solutions for a more sustainable path of development. One of the main approaches in this direction is the resource saving closure of material circulations among industrial actors. This means at least: maximum rate of recycling combined with a minimum in downgrading processes and spatially close output-input relations - or, in other words: a substantial reduction of social, entropic and spatial distance within the circle-closing process. How can these distances be reduced in order to promote the further spreading of an industrial closed circle economy? What are the present obstacles in the industrial reality and how can they be removed on the level of a firm, an industrial district or an industrial region? These were important questions at the beginning of a research process funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) in order to encourage eco-industrial development in the of Rhine-Neckar region. Taking the results of our close cooperation especially with SME, the problem solving capacity of this industrial region is high enough to close the circles for industrial residues regionally. The dimension of an industrial agglomeration with more than 1,5 million inhabitants could thus already be regarded as a potential output-input system for industrial waste. Nevertheless this capacity is far from being exploited. Taken the fact, that the largest deficiencies were found in the informational situation of SME, two kinds of instruments were developed to facilitate the acquisition and the advantageous usage of waste information by inter-industrial coordination on the level of the industrial region. As informational basis the project coordinators developed a comprehensive, clear and systematic informational structure. A socalled 'AGUM waste manager' was developed as a software tool, that meets all the needs not only for internal information and communication but also for exchanges with potentially fitting output-input partners outside the border of the enterprise. As information on the composition of a certain waste is relatively scarce, the transfer of materials goes together with substantial costs for control, that can only be diminished or substituted by mutual confidence between the two actors. And even a pure informational exchange of waste manager-data between different enterprises would hardly work without a face-to-face contact. Our transparency-guided approach to promote regional sustainability did thus include the development and institutionalisation of an inter-industrial network, that first of all incorporates industrial producers (especially SME) but also other actors, that stand for the problem solving capacity of the region (i.e. universities, political administrations and other institutions) and can thus contribute to the identification and implementation of sustainable-oriented solutions in a regional context.

Waste management companies in Europe 2009

This paper examines the ownership, employment and finances of the major waste companies in Europe, and recent developments in ownership

Information needs for environmental policy making : some orientations for the future

Chapter 12Recent good practice has highlighted the need for evidence-based policy in all fields, including that of the environment (1). There is an ongoing need for reliable information to inform the policymaking process. A strong evidence-base also contributes to more robust design and assessment of policy options. In the environmental field, the putting in place of environmental monitoring processes and the regular publication of state of the environment reports have contributed significantly to providing a better evidence base for policy. The EU-funded ERDF project has played an important role in upgrading national environmental monitoring programmes, and further related projects also addressing particular thematic areas in the environmental field are planned for the next structural funding period up to 2020. This paper puts forward a set of orientations for the future to be taken into account in order to improve the evidence base to support national environmental policy-making processes, including the monitoring of existing policies, now that the data from the ERDF monitoring project is becoming available. The basis of the analysis is the authors’ work on monitoring the implementation of the National Environment Policy and previously on state of the environment reporting.peer-reviewe

LIFE [instrument for environment and climate action]. Third country projects 2005

The European Commission has selected 15 projects situated in Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey and the West Bank and Gaza, for funding through the LIFE-Third Countries programme. These projects aim to improve the environment and achieve sustainable development by creating or strengthening the relevant institutions, policies, monitoring tools, training facilities, networks and data bases