91 The need to think differently about the types of materials they commission, based not only on visual ideas and comfort but on material sustainability, requires a commitment to ensuring the longevity of materials. As operators face increasingly stringent regulations regarding recyclability, those designers that are ready for the new challenges this imposes will be in high demand. Life-cycle analysis Life-cycle analysis enables companies to assess the impacts associated with construction and refurbishment activities. In particular, it studies the impacts of the extraction and production of seven metals (iron, aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, nickel and manganese) and two construction materials (concrete and sand and gravel), which can exacerbate a range of problems including acidification, climate change, cumulative energy demand, eutrophication, human toxicity, ozone layer depletion and photochemical oxidation. The OECD warns that despite interventions, these global environmental impacts are projected to more than double and in some cases even quadruple by 2060. Best practice requires mapping of the full life cycle of each product, flagging aspects such as chemical safety, resource use and circularity, GHG emissions, and impacts on ecosystems.1 The life cycle approach has implications for how waste disposal and recycling are perceived and valued. For minerals, recycling is likely to displace primary resource extraction as technology improves and the true costs of production begin to be applied across the life cycle. Already, 70 per cent of all US produced steel and stainless steel is made from scrap2 and this percentage will grow as recycling becomes more attractive. Similarly, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries notes: “About 75 per cent of all aluminium produced since commercial manufacturing began in the 1880s is still in productive use as secondary raw material.”3 This trend is set to spread across all construction materials that have the potential for sustainable reuse. “ About 75 per cent of all aluminium produced since commercial manufacturing began in the 1880s is still in productive use as secondary raw material” Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries 1 Source: OECD, Global Material Resources Outlook 2 Source: Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Recycling is Essential 3 Source: Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Recycling Industry Yearbook
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