IN
DEGREE PROJECT
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING,
SECOND CYCLE, 30 CREDITS
,
STOCKHOLM SWEDEN 2018
Construction and demolition
waste in Helsinki
Case study of the circular economy hub HSY
Ekomo
ERIK WIKSTRÖM
KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
i
Construction and demolition waste in
Helsinki
Case study of the circular economy hub HSY Ekomo
ERIK WIKSTRÖM
Supervisor
RAJIB SINHA
Examiner
MIGUEL BRANDÃO
Degree Project in Sustainable Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology
School of Architecture and Built Environment
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Sammanfattning
Den begränsade mängden naturresurser som existerar på vår planet har diskuterats under det senaste decenniet aktivt. Återvinning av material blir allt viktigare i dagens samhälle och vi kan se en trend var utvecklingen strävar efter beslut som har rötterna i cirkulär ekonomiskaprinciper. Resultatet av diskussionerna har blivit höga måtsättningar för medlemsländerna i Europeiska Unionen gällande återvinning var målet är att uppnå en återvinningsgrad på 70% innan 2020 för bygg- och rivavfall.
Studien använder materialflödes analys (MFA) som metod för att kartlägga och kvantifiera flödnena av bygg- och rivavfall. Materialflödes analysen använder data från årsrapporter och statistik som blivit tillgängligt av HSY (statligt ägt bolag) samt av intervjuerna som utfördes på fältet. För att kvantifiera flödena på basis av den konceptuella modellen avnändes mjukvaran STAN.
Avhandlingen strävar efter att ta första steget för att kartlägga materialflöden av bygg- och rivavfall i huvudstadsregionen (Helsingfors). Målet är att skapa en modell som kan användas som botten i framtida undersökningar och att kvantifiera modellen med existerande data för att se ifall målsättningarna stadgade av Europeiska Unionen kommer att uppnås innan 2020. Studien utfördes på cirkulär ekonomi stationen Ekomo för att kunna göra upp modeller för den privata sektorn och den kommunalla sektorn eftersom båda är verksamma på Ekomo.
Resultaten av anvhandlingen var följande:
Den privata sektorn och staten uppnår en återvinningsgrad på över 90% vilket är väl över stadgan satt av den Europeiska Unionen under året 2017 med en stadig utveckling från året innan med en väldigt liten andel som placeras på soptipp. Resultaten visar en stark utveckling av intresse från hushåll och företag för återvinning eftersom antalet kunder och lastbilar som besökt stationen ökat starkt under de senaste fem åren.
Även om målsättningarna inom återvinning är uppnådda finns det ärenden som måste behandlas för att försäkra en fortsatt positiv utveckling. Den privata sektorn upplever att begränsade möjligheter för återanvänd krossbetong minskar efterfrågan på produkten, vilket gör den finansiellt svår att integrera i deras försälning. Buller- och miljötillstånd tvingar för tillfället bolagen att transportera bygg- och rivmaterialet utanför rivmålet, t.ex till Ekomo, för att krossas vilket ytterligare skapar finansiella problem för den privata sektorn. Lösningar för att göra återvinning av riv- och byggnadsmaterial för den privata sektorn lukrativare behövs för att inspirera flera organisationer att ansluta sig till arbete mot ett mera cirkulärt samhälle.
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ABSTRACT (English)
The limited amount of natural resources on our planet has been actively discussed during the past decade. Recycling materials is becoming increasingly important in order to benefit the economy and the environment. The purpose of this study is to conduct a material flow analysis of the construction and demolition waste in the Helsinki metropolitan area to find out whether or not the goals set by the EU Waste Framework Directive can be reached by 2020. The study aims to map out the flows and suggest improvements wherever needed. The study is conducted by using a case study, HSY Ekomo, the first fully operational circular economy hub in Finland.
The results show that both the municipality and private sector are well over the required goal of 70% recyclability rate of construction and demolition waste with a steady positive improvement from the first year of operations. The improvements were over 10% between the year 2016 and 2017. The private sector experiences some turbulence regarding legislation issues such as noise- and environmental permits which limits the economic benefit of recycling construction and demolition waste. Continued monitoring and faster adaption to international standards (such as the EU Waste Framework Directive) is required in order to be able to benefit the most economically and environmentally out of circular economic initiatives.
Keywords
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to all the participants in the semi-structured interviews. The insights you were able to give me in different phases of the thesis were of incredible value. As experts in the field of circular economy and landfill operations you assisted me in understanding the current landscape in a way I would not have been able to do academically. I appreciate the time you gave me in the interviews and in the review process.
Thank you Rajib. You supervised through more meeting then I can count both in person and on Skype. Your patience and expertise in the field kept my focus on the thesis throughout the whole process. I appreciate the huge effort you put into supervising your Master‟s thesis students.
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PREFACE
Moving abroad to study at KTH has been an exciting, interesting and challenging journey. I completed my Master‟s Degree in Economics at Hanken School of Economics in 2015 and I had been working in banking and consulting alongside my studies since my bachelor‟s degree. I became increasingly interested in sustainability related topics during my time in the financial sector and I decided to switch the focus of my career. The first step was to give myself the proper tools to be able to enter a new field and I decided to do a second master‟s degree. KTH has given me systems thinking and new perspectives. I‟m able to think in circular ways and the benefits of doing so, including end placement and recycling into my previously linear thought process.
Pass or fail was a new concept for thesis writing and a bit of a disappointment for me as a grade for the thesis work was my largest motivator in my previous process. The thesis process at KTH different from my previous Master‟s in several aspects. I decided to use material flow analysis as my tool of choice to be able to learn as much as possible from applying this tool in a real-life situation. I chose a tool which I was previously unfamiliar and most of my time was spent on background research and preparation for applying such a tool to a thesis project. I did two pioneering interviews with the stakeholders of the circular economy site to confirm the relevance and possibilities of applying such a tool to this specific case. I spent the first two months solely on preparation for starting the process (October and November 2017). Thereafter, I began the process of analysing the data I had been able to collect (December 2017 and January 2018). The amount was scares but expected as the operations of the circular economy hub had begun in the end of 2015.
I was able to extract the result I wanted, whether the hub would reach the recycling goal set by the EU Waste Framework Directive 2015. As the data was limited regarding the material flows I decided to deepen the knowledge of the flows by conducting interviews with people associated with the circular economy site and stakeholders operating there. The interviews were successful, as I was able to explain the result in far more detailed manner compared to only single data collection. I decided I had enough data to properly be able to complete my thesis process and started the writing process in the end of February 2018.
I have learned a lot regarding the construction business and waste management in the Helsinki region during the process. Applying material flow analysis as a tool on the flows of construction and demolition waste in the Helsinki region had not been done yet and I hope my study will be able to assist in monitoring and developing these flows. My study was able to reach out to stakeholders in the waste management process during my thesis process as I had the privilege and opportunity to interview experts in the field and I hope it will continue to reach out to more people as it‟s published.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ... 1
1.1 Problem background ... 2
1.2 Aim and Objectives ... 3
2. LITERATURE REVIEW ... 4
2.1 Construction and demolition waste ... 4
2.2 Environmental and economic impact of construction and demolition wastes ... 5
2.3 Circular Economy ... 6
2.3.1 Circular Economy as a business model and in research ... 6
2.3.2 Closing the loops ... 6
2.4 EU Waste Framework Directive ... 8
3 METHOD ... 10
3.1 Conceptual Model ... 10
3.2 Methodological approach ... 11
3.3 Material Flow Analysis ... 12
3.1 Data collection ... 13 4 ANALYSIS ... 14 4.1 Material flows ... 14 4.1.1 HSY ... 14 4.1.2 Delete ... 17 4.1.3 NCC ... 19 4.2 Result discussion ... 22 5 CONCLUSIONS ... 28
5.1 Suggestions for further research ... 30
REFERENCES ... 31
APPENDICES ... 34
APPENDIX A: Interview guide 1 ... 34
APPENDIX B: Interview guide 2 ... 35
APPENDIX C: Pictures ... 37
APPENDIX D: Excel calculations ... 39
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TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1 C&DW materials in the European Union Figure 2 Source of aggregates in Europe
Figure 3 Global CO2 productions worldwide
Figure 4 Definitions of resource efficiency and circular economy Figure 5 Waste Hierarchy set by the EU WFD
Figure 6 Conceptual models of C&DW recycling process in the Helsinki metropolitan area Figure 7 The approach of the research in four steps
Figure 8 Customers at the recycling centre (Sortti station) Figure 9 MFA of HSY operations at Ekomo (2016)
Figure 10 MFA of HSY operations at Ekomo (2017)
Figure 11 Graph showing the increase in activities at HSYs Sortti asema at Ekomo Figure 12 Figure 12 MFA of Deletes operations at Ekomo (2016)
Figure 13 MFA of Deletes operations at Ekomo (2017) Figure 14 MFA of NCC operations at Ekomo (2016) Figure 15 MFA of NCC operations at Ekomo (2017)
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ABBREVATIONS
C&DW – Construction and Demolition Waste (in this case specifically metals, bricks and concrete) CO2 – Carbon dioxide
CE – Circular Economy EU – European Union EC – European Commission
HSY – Helsinki Regional Environmental Services MFA – Material Flow Analysis
EU WFD – EU Waste Framework Directive 2015
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1. INTRODUCTION
The non-renewable natural resources are rapidly diminishing from our planet. In response to the rapid decrease of non-renewable natural resources business are trying to find new technology and solutions to tackle this problem. Technology and development in circular economy principles provide us with new extraction processes, recycling and substitutions for different types of materials. Increasing material flow efficiency and facilitating green innovation into business development will be crucial parts of decreasing our dependancy on natural resources (Nooten, 2007). Helsinki Region Environmental Authority is a municipal body in the Helsinki metropolitan area and operates in mainly waste management and water services. The main goal is to assist the inhabitants and companies operating in the area to act for a better environment (HSY, 2017). HSY is not allowed legally as a municipal body to offer competitive waste management services to the market and they handle municipal waste exclusively. HSY operates the circular economy hub Ekomo at Ämmässuo (previously a landfill, today an eco-industrial centre) which serves as a platform for companies to develop their operations towards industrial symbiosis if they operate at the site. The area also includes a separate sorting station to recycle materials such as metals, paper, glass, carton and hazardous wastes which the local inhabitants of the area are also able to use without paying an extra fee. Wood mixed waste, gypsum and assorted construction and demolition waste can be left at the station for a fee. Companies can utilize others wastes in their own operations through renewable energy generated in the area (HSY, 2017). Ekomo is the largest circular economy hub operating in Finland. (Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto, 2016).
HSY together with a handful of partners are now developing a new project called Circhubs, which is a consequence of the „Closing the loop‟ action plan published by the European Commission 2nd of December
2015. EU created an incentive for economies to transition towards circular economy ideal to minimize waste generation in the EU and ultimately reach the goal of a low carbon, resource efficient and sustainably competitive European economy. (European Commission, 2015) Furthermore, the European Commission published an implementation report in January 2017 to further set key goals to the action plan which included changes in legislations, improved eco-design, guidance of circular economy to BREFs (Best available techniques) and innovation (European Comission, 2017) (European Commission, 2013). The implementation of circular economy principles is gaining momentum in the Member states of the European Union, which as previously discussed has inspired municipalities and companies to act in Finland. The Finnish parliament has in several occasions discussed the issue and as a result the Circhubs initiative was started in the beginning of 2017 (Eduskunta, 2015). The benefits of circular economy have been well established theoretically by several authors during the past decade. (Ellen McArthur Foundation, 2013). Further research must be invested to ensure the development towards a more circular economy-based society in Helsinki. The targets set by the EU are short term and need to be adjusted to directly.
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1.1 Problem background
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1.2 Aim and Objectives
The thesis aims to map out the material flows of C&DW in the Helsinki metropolitan area in a model based on the circular economy hub Ekomo. The main objective is to map the flows of C&DW through an MFA and to suggest improvements to increase efficiency to the flows where it is required. The secondary objective whether the EU Waste Framework Directive goals can be reached by the end of 2020 and which effect the newly initiated CircHubs project will have on the material flows of the Helsinki region.
The research aims to answer the three following research questions.
RQ1: How does the material flows of C&DW look like at Ekomo and can something be improved?
RQ2: Will the circular economy hub be able to meet the EU Waste Framework Directive 2015 goal of
recycling 70% of the C&DW by 2020?
RQ3: What impact will the newly initiated CircHubs project have on the material flows in the region?
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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
An essential step in before extracting knowledge from any field or concept is to conduct a literature review which does not only discuss the theme on a conceptual level but also through the major channels of publications (Korhonen;Cali;Feldmann;& Birkie, 2018). Construction and demolition waste and circular economy are both definitions which can be defined by several different parameters. The literature review aims to establish both definitions in the setting of this study before progressing to the analysis.
2.1 Construction and demolition waste
Construction and demolition waste can be defined by several parameters. C&DW refers to the bulky, heavy materials related to construction of civil-engineering structures (including deconstruction activities) such as concrete, wood, bricks, glass, ceramics, tiles and soil (European Commission, 2000). This study will mainly focus on the concrete, bricks, different types of wood (burnable) and metal.
Figure 1 C&DW materials in the European Union (Pepe, 2015)
As can be identified in figure 1 concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics account for the largest volume of C&DW, while metals account for only 4% of the volume. The study chose to take the two into account because it can account for the largest volume of the waste (concrete, bricks, etc.) and account for the most valuable recyclable material (metals) (Pepe, 2015).
5 The source of aggregates in the European Union is largely dominated by crushed rock and sand & gravel mixtures, while recycled aggregate account for up to five percent. This chapter will focus on the three central themes present in the study. The environmental impacts of C&DW, closing the loops associated with C&DW and material flow analysis. The themes will assist in the analysis of the flows to identify their impacts and indications (Pepe, 2015).
2.2 Environmental and economic impact of construction and demolition wastes
C&DW is one of the largest waste flows in the world (Huang, 2012). An estimate shows that globally three tons of aggregate is used annually per person (CN, 2017). There are four major fractions in concrete, aggregate, binder and water. The aggregate accounts for 75% of the volume and therefor plays an important role in the overall performance of concrete (de Brito & Saikia, 2013). The major environmental problems associated with concrete production and C&DW is CO2 emissions manufacturing and transportation, landfill
contamination, energy consumptions associated with production (especially with virgin materials) and other particulates (Marzouk & Azab, 2013) (Salesa, ym., 2015).
Figure 3 Global CO2 production worldwide (Pepe, 2015)
Figure 3 shows that if cement production is excluded from global manufacturing it accounts for 5% of the CO2 emissions. Aiming to increase the amount of recycled aggregate would have a large effect on the CO2
emissions associated with cement and concrete production, as most of the energy consumption and CO2
emission is associated with production with new raw materials (Marzouk & Azab, 2013).
As seen in figure 3, road transport accounts for 18% of the global CO2 emissions which is a major part of the
C&DW flows as the transportation is dominated by truck transport between sites. The use of freight trucks has steadily increased since the 1990 and is currently together with container ships the prominent way of transporting good. An average European truck transporting 14 400 kg of C&DW 35km to an off-site location for material recovery and then driving back to the site without freight would on an average consume 17,1 litres of diesel, emitting 54,1kg CO2 (van den Broek;van den Engel;& Mauerer, 2014, ss. 14-22). Many
6 negative impact on efficiency (OECD, 2011, ss. 64-69). OECD found three major trends regarding freight transport by truck which can influence efficiency in a positive manner. Logistics companies should use hubs and networks to transport operators in consolidating cargo to decrease the amount of trucks running with an empty load, which would further develop logistic networks. Also, accelerating investments into new communication technologies will improve alignments between transport and demand. Furthermore, more competition through innovation in the sector forces transport operators to improve their efficiency to remain profitable in this field (OECD, 2011, s. 70).
2.3 Circular Economy
The terms circular economy and sustainability is gaining traction among research, policymakers and decision-makers. Yet, the concepts and their differences depending on which field they are applied is yet to be standardized. (Geissdoerfer;Savaget;Bocken;& Hultink, 2017) The importance of establishing the scene in which circular economy is applied is important to be able to see the true implications and effects of
application of the concept.
2.3.1 Circular Economy as a business model and in research
Circular economy has without question become one of the hot topics in public debates. The idea of transforming systems from linear consumption models to closed systems, where resources are kept in the loop in order to generate additional value in a longer period of time, has been discussed by both politicians and practitioners (Andrea;Chiaronia;& Vittorio, 2017). The lack of a scientific basis for the concept of circular economy is still to be established (Korhonen;Honkasalo;& Seppälä, Circular Economy: the concept and its Limitations, 2018). Korhonen et. al. established in their paper that the basic reference points to the circular economy scientific basis should be connected to the original WCED (World Commission on Environment and Development) definition of sustainable development which dates back to 1987. As companies transition towards ideals of circular economy research should be conducted to identify the scientific implications of such strategies.
The lack of a standardized framework to explain how companies are going to adopt their existing business model to a new one in the most efficient way has still not been established. Circular economy theories call out the companies to extend their corporate responsibilities over the ownership of the product which is being processed to be able to enable an effective way of closing the loops. There are scholars who have established frameworks in how companies final circular economic strategy should look like, such as reducing dependency on virgin materials, switch from carbon-based energy system sto renewables and to metabolize own waste in the same systems. The problem is there are finite amounts of guidelines on how to do the transition to this framework (Andrea;Chiaronia;& Vittorio, 2017).
Another problem with the concept of circular economy is that it comprises of different areas and is difficult to describe together with all of its key gears which makes the wheel turn. de Jesus and Mendonca (2018) establish in their article that the concept of circular economy is actually rather poorly understood in all its areas (de Jesus & mendonca, 2018). Additionally, they think methodologies for delivering a circular economy is even more blurred and uncertain. This is why understanding the factors which hinder and enable the transition towards circular economy in different areas should be prioritized. They conclude in their paper that circular economy ideals and business models are primarily driven by soft factors such as social, regulatory or institutional. Public agencies have a crucial role from the infrastructure to legal setup to able to enable the ideals of the concept. (de Jesus & mendonca, 2018)
2.3.2 Closing the loops
7 importance on the agendas of policymakers, which became evident when the European Commission (2015) implemented a comprehensive European Circular Economy Package. Circular economy can be defined as a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emissions and potential energy leakage are minimized by slowing and closing material land energy loops. Long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling are required in order to achieve the desired outcome. Circular economy and sustainability are used in similar contexts even if the similarities and differences between these two concepts have yet to be defined. In most cases circular economy can be seen as a condition to fulfil in order to achieve sustainability. (Geissdoerfer M. S., 2017) The awareness of human activity, especially production activities, on the environment has been increasing in the past decade. Conflicting with the linear model (take, make, dispose) of resource consumption, circular economy aims to include reuse, repair, recycling, industrial economy and responsible consumption into the daily operations of companies and its customers (Gallaud & Laperche, 2016, ss. 5-10) (Gallaud & Laperche, 2016, ss. 3-6). According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation and McKinsey, Europe could benefit in 12-14% savings in terms of cost of materials by 2025 if principles of circular economy would be implemented to the society (Ellen McArthur Foundation, 2013). The estimated benefits are done based on an instantaneous change of business models to circular economy, which needs to be taken into account. As previously discussed, the transition from a traditional business model towards a circular economy based business model can be costly in resources and in time, which need to be assessed before beginning the transition.
But, there are multiple benefits which can be gained througha complete implementation of circular economy principles into business models. Companies which have implemented these principles were able to substantially reduce spending with respect to the supply of raw materials. Additionally, several other benefits were gained such as reinforced loyalty with the customers through increased interactions with the customers (encouraging them to bring back products they‟ve used for recycling) and simplified product designs (with an option of potential upgrading them via add-ons) enabled businesses to manage their lifecycles in a more efficient way (Gallaud & Laperche, 2016, s. 4). Furthermore, negative externalities resulting for pollution and environmental harm could be reduced. Circular economy strategies involve resource efficiency as a part of its values. A CE strategy aims to reduce, reuse, recycle, substitute, safeguard and value of resources across every single stage of a products life cycle. Resource efficiency is a broader term which discusses improved use of energy, transport and buildings including resources. The common denominator of these definitions is efficient management as we can see in figure 4 below. As an example, a resource efficient strategy would be if a car manufacturer redesigned their production process in a way which reduced material use. In comparison, in a circular economy scenario the car manufacturing process might be redesigned so it does not only use less material but it would allow for an easier remanufacture and repair as well (Pratt;Lenaghan;& Mitchard, 2016).
8 Inspired by the estimates EU supports nations in transitions towards circular economy principles. The current project in implementing six new circular economy hubs in Finland is directly supported by EU (Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto, 2016). A benchmarking analysis for circular economy hubs was done by a research unit called REHA CE. The study did an extensive SWOT-analysis of ten operating circular economy hubs in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats before implementing the new circular economy hub in Topinmäki associated with the CircHubs project. By far the largest benefit can be gained from circular economy hubs if informational flows are well planned out. This means proper instructions in the major languages in the area including virtual hubs with proper mapping of what types of materials are present at the hubs in order to make it easily accessible for companies to identify the type of materials at the hub and which they can use. This encourages companies to start operating at these sites as well (Research Group REHA CE, 2017). The benefits are in line with the OCED guidelines which was previously discuss and dictate one of the largest benefits to reduce environmental impact is to connect transportation networks through hubs and network.
2.4 EU Waste Framework Directive
The Directive 2006/12/EC establishes a legislative framework for the future handling of different types of wastes in the community. The goal of the Directive is to dine key concepts such as waste, recovery and disposal. Additionally, the Directive aims to set essential requirements for waste management and recycling. All Member States have to draw up a waste management plan which does not have a negative impact on the environment or human health, including an encouragement to apply the waste hierarchy present in the Directive (European Comission, 2008, ss. 1-2). The waste hierarchy which is encouraged to follow in the Member States is a) prevention of waste creation b) preparing for re-use c) recycling d) other recovery types such as energy recovery e) disposal. The best environmental income when applying this hierarchy should be dictating the choice of waste management legislation on a national level. The process of the waste legislation and policy should be fully transparent.
Figure 5 Waste Hierarchy set by the EU WFD (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework)
Prevention
Preparing for re-use
Recycling
Recovery
Disposal
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3 METHOD
The main method in the study is material flow analysis (MFA). The material flows of the C&DW are accounted through a model which serves as the foundation for the study. The data collection phase aims to quantify the flows associated with the C&DW waste flows identified through the conceptual model. The conceptual model was established through the semi structured interviews and initial data collection phase of the study, which will assist in quantifying the flows and identifying the impact of the associated flows. Ekomo has been operational with its current stakeholders since 2015. The main data collection will be from the years 2016 and 2017 when the circular economy hub has been operational. In order to estimate the development of the hub some assumptions and estimates have been made based on the data collected from environmental reports of the eco industrial centre (HSY).
3.1 Conceptual Model
The foundation of the study will be anchored in the conceptual model below in figure 6. The conceptual model is based on the initial data collection and interviews to establish the framework of the study.
Figure 6 Conceptual models of C&DW recycling process at the eco industrial centre of Ekomo
11 depends largely on the demolition project and if the correct equipment is available. The private sector has the concern of constant need to improve profitability compared to the municipality which operates as a non-profit organisation, which in some cases poses a great difference in how the flows and processes looks for each operator. A common interest is the efficiency, as the municipality does aim for better efficiency in their larger process to enable the handling of more types of smaller wastes which otherwise could not be handled by anyone. The conceptual model assists in quantifying the flows for the material flow analysis of the private sector and the municipality. The model will assist in the understanding which flows are associated with which process and the result.
3.2 Methodological approach
The main data analysis is conducted through reviewing the collected material in the main data collection phase (documentation, statistics, environmental reports etc.) and the additional data collection phase (semi-structured interviews). The main findings of the study have been identified in attained material which was then discussed in the interviews to further deepen the reach of the study. Potential bias problems have been dealt with by interviewing both the municipality and the private sector potential but noted during the process of constructing and conducting the chosen interview guide for the interviews. The interview guides can be found in the appendices (Appendix A & Appendix B).
The first step of the research was creating the conceptual model based on the main and additional data collection. The idea behind creating the conceptual model was to understand the flows associated with C&DW as it had not been done in previous studies. The result of the conceptual model will be presented as a part of the analysis as it is the foundation and first step towards the result. The second step is to quantify as many of the flows associated with the conceptual model and system associated with the flows through the environmental statistics and reports generated by HSY.
The study uses the software STAN to quantify the flows (STAN, 2017). STAN, short for substance flow analysis, assists researchers in creating graphical models with predefined components; thereafter the flows associated with the components can be quantified and calculated. STAN has several references from universities, among them Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which ensures the software can be trusted in quality and performance as a tool for the MFA of this study (STAN, 2017). The third step of the analysis the flows and establish a discussion which reflects upon the data collected from the interviews and literature review. The research approach can be seen in the visualised four steps presented in the figure below.
12 The final step highlights the conclusions of the study, which includes the answers to the research questions and suggestions for further research in the field. Establishing the conceptual model and quantifying the material flows was the most time-consuming parts of the thesis. As previously discussed there are scares data on material flows of construction and demolition waste in Finland which required an extensive background research before starting with actual thesis process. When the model was successfully quantified the results and conclusions were discussed and reflected on to extract the result the research questions set out to find out.
3.3 Material Flow Analysis
Material flow analysis (MFA) is systematic approach and a tool to assess flows and stocks of material within a system in space and time. The result of a MFA can be controlled by simple material balance where inputs, outputs and stocks are compared in the process. MFA is a method to support decision-making in resource management, waste management and environmental management. The tool delivers a complete and consistent set of information about all the flows and stocks associated with a system. Balancing the inputs and outputs assists in identifying the environmental load and flows of waste, including their sources (Brunner & Rechberger, 2003). MFA indicators can assist in measuring progress with resource efficiency and material use which in turn provides insight into the economic efficiency and environmental effectiveness of the materials used in the consumption chain up to the final disposal and end placement (OECD, 2008, s. 15). The main strength of MFA is the potential to simplify public communication processes and the possibility to reach an audience which in most cases receive little information of this type. This is useful for policy makers and the public at large who need well synthesised information without being lost in the details. The possibility of presenting data in this manner is because of the rational framework of a MFA which has clear relations between processes and flows. However, the method has some limitations and the most significant is the availability of basic data needed to quantify the flows in the system presented in the study which sets a high requirement of data quality and availability. All processes and flows are not easily accounted for which might present the study in a situation where assumptions must be made (OECD, 2008).
Conducting an MFA is particularly useful in giving an overview of opportunities and threats associated with material and energy flow and to identify key trends and changes of a system. The indicators in a MFA can be used as proxies for environmental pressure associated with the use and consumption of materials. The term “material flow indicators” label all indicators which report on material flows and material resource use, which can range from aggregated measures to measures of individual material flows (OECD, 2008). In this study, the focus will be on input, output and consumption and balance indicators. Input indicators describe materials mobilised in sustaining an activity while the output indicators describe the materials consumed by an activity. The consumption indicator describes consumed materials inside the activity while balance indicators account for the physical growth of materials in the activity, in other words, stock.
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3.1 Data collection
The main goal of the data collection was to be able to quantify the flows associated with C&DW in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Patel and Davidson (2013) discuss the importance of source quality assurance and source criticism during the data collection for researches. The research will solely use data and documentation received by the main stakeholder HSY and associated companies in order to ensure a high quality in the data collection (Patel, 2013). The main data collection has been done through documentation and statistics received from HSY and companies associated with the C&DW flows (HSY, 2018). All of the data is publicliy attainable through their homepage.
Secondary data to complete the conceptual model and to fill in the gaps of the reports was received through a set of semi-structured interviews. Two pioneering interviews were done with Ira Hanf (Business Development Manager at HSY) and Nea Metsänranta (Circular Economy Expert at HSY) in order form an understanding of the waste flows and operations in the region. The pioneering interviews purpose was to choose the specific waste flows to study and to identify where sufficient information was available. The interviews were both an hour long and assisted in settling for the specific topic the study chose to focus on. Furthermore, two additional interviews were conducted together with Tommi Järvinen (Appendix A)and the team handling operations at EkomoRoni Järvensivu, Renja Rautiainen and Hannu Juntunen (Appendix B) to deepen the knowledge of the flows further. The interviews were conducted with 1-3 participants present at the interview. The aim of the interviews are to find additional data related to the model and the flows which could assist in understanding the current situation of the C&DW recycling process in Finland. Semi structured interviews were chosen as the method for the interviews because it‟s a versatile and flexible method, which can be applied both on individuals and group interviews. The main advantage is the success rate in enabling reciprocity between the interviewer and participants, which enables follow-up questions based on the responses of the participants (Kallio;Pietilä;Johnson;& Kangasniemi, 2016). The choice of interviewees was based on purposive sampling, which determines the choice of interview participants accordingly to their relevance to the study. (Bryman & Bell, 2011) Conducting a set of interviews as a method of additional data collection has several further benefits to the study, such as ensuring the quality of the data collection from the documentation and it gives experts view on the problem of which both add value to the outcome of the research.
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4 ANALYSIS
The material flow analysis will be presented in two phases. First, the study identifies each individual stakeholders flows operating at the eco industrial centre. Secondly, the flows are put together to visualize the whole operations flows. The study exclusively uses environmental reports conducted by HSY for the MFA to ensure a high quality of data. Secondary data from the semi-structured interviews will be used to compliment parts of the reports which were deemed unclear or insufficient. The reports can be found on HSYs homepage.
4.1 Material flows
The earliest operations at Ekomo started in the end of 2015 when NCC started to accept material from the Blominmaki construction site for a water treatment plant. The actual operations (e.g. crushing and separation of C&DW) started in 2016. The data retrieved is from the first year of operations (2016) and second year of operations (2017). (HSY, 2017) The material flow analysis of the study aims to quantify all the flows associated with the Ekomo recycling facility which handles the municipal C&DW waste flows and facilitates the operations of two larger private sector operators, NCC and Delete. The figures, tables and models are outtakes from the software STAN and the original systems (including modules and calculations) can be found in the appendix. First, the analysis will focus on each individual stakeholder operating at the circular economy hub and end the analysis by summarizing each of the individually quantified models to the original conceptual model.
4.1.1 HSY
HSY has facilitated different types of cooperation regarding waste flows since 2010. As the first year of being fully operational the new site Ekomo has been able to establish a large quantity of waste flows. The goal of Ekomo is to create a nationally and internationally attractive eco-industrial centre. The idea is to offer a functional and high-quality infrastructure with good road traffic networks. There are currently three stakeholders operating with C&DW at Ekomo, HSY (municipality), Delete Oy (private sector) and NCC (private sector). NCC operates mainly natively mined aggregate at the site but the scale of the operations required a site which would allow large quantities of storage and efficient crushing, which is why NCC has been included as an operator at the site. The idea is to combine as many sectors with possible synergy to make business collaborations more resource-efficient. The largest benefit for companies in establishing their operations at the site is the fact that there are existing environmental permits for the site. This makes it easier for companies to be included in the same environmental permit if they have similar operations. Noise permits are applied to when crushing operations are done at the site but easier to access as Ekomo does this regularly. “HSY largely handles C&DW which cannot be handled by the companies themselves” Hannu Juntunen, Renja Rautiainen and Roni Järvensivu states in the interview (Appendix B). The companies pay a small fee for leaving the C&DW at their site and then the cleaned product is sold forward or in this case, mostly used for infrastructure built on the landfill such as roads, walls and such.
“The goal is to replace as much of the otherwise bought native aggregate with recycled materials received at our site. Parts of our waste management operations are not beneficial financially as they barely cover transportation, but the goal is to improve our ecological footprint overall concerning the site.” (Roni
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Figure 8 Customers at the recycling centre (Sortti station)
Depending on the type and quality of the waste the customers might have to pay a small fee to leave it at the recycling centre. HSY does daily safety and cleaning routines at the site to ensure safety and an hygienic centre. They state in their yearly environmental report that the amounts which have been handled at the site do not exceed the permits limits and they continue to improve their environmental work at the sites.
Figure 9 Graph showing the increase in activities at HSYs Sortti asema at Ekomo
The data of the Sortti-asema tracks back to 2014, where the activities have steadily increased since 2014, which can be seen in the figure above. The received metals were 871 tonnes in 2014, growing steadily to 1064 tonnes in 2015, 1335 tonnes in 2016 and 1512 tonnes in 2017. The total amount of received metals has almost doubled during the past four years. Gypsum received has decreased as the customers have chosen since 2016 to not separate it from the C&DW. C&DW received staggered at a bit above 15 000 tonnes for a few years until last year when the increase was almost 7000 tonnes received. To be specific, this is only counting in the C&DW received at the Sortti stations, which does not include the main recycling and screening facility at Ekomo.
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Figure 10 MFA of HSY operations at Ekomo (2016)
There are four input flows to the operations at Ekomo, which are quantified in tonnes. The main flow containing the largest quantities is the C&DW received directly at the site or the sorting stations from local demolition projects or recovery sites. The three other flows are operated through the sorting station where local inhabitants and companies can leave previously assorted materials straight for recycling. Metals, paper, glass, carton and hazardous are free of charge, while different types of wood, mixed waste, gypsum and assorted construction and demolition waste can be left at the station for a fee. The sorting station includes a mixed wastes flow which contains C&DW but largely contain wooden wastes which is sent straight for incineration after a short screening, unfortunately no data regarding recovery percentages of metals or similar materials were found regarding either Ekomo‟s or the sorting stations recovery stage. The separations or screening of the C&DW for metals is a fast process according to the operators at HSY, which makes it a valid option to separate it before recycling it to reduce the landfilling fee for the construction waste. “The actual amount which is sent for end placement is small as parts of the non-recycled materials can be used at the incinerations plant for energy”Roni Järvensivu points out in the interview (Appendix B)
A part of the C&DW waste received at the site is tainted by toxic chemicals or oils which make it impossible to be recycled directly, instead it needs to be post processed at the site. . In 2016 part of the materials were used for a new drainage pool for sewage water which is created during crushing of concrete of the site which has greatly improved the capacity at the site. The environmental permits for construction are far less regulated if the construction does not directly affect health or safety. This means even the most tainted waste received at the site can be used for a purpose even if it might contain some irregularities after separation from the hazardous material. The waste which cannot be incinerated or is hazardous enough not to be able to be used in either of the previously mentioned processed are placed in the landfill.
17 shows, 5994 tonnes of the received C&DW ends up in end placement. The goal is to continue to find purpose to as much of the material as possible to be able to reduce the amount placed in the landfill Hannu Juntunen commented during the interview (Appendix B). The operations of the plant started in 2014 and has since then improved waste management in the Helsinki region as it has the capacity to burn over 360 000 tonnes of mixed wastes a year, providing almost 2000 GWh for electricity and heat in the region.
Figure 11 MFA of HSY operations at Ekomo (2017)
The scale of the operations have grown (figure 10) since 2016. The amount of C&DW received at the site has increased with 38% which is an increase compared to the previous year, indicating the site has caught great traction during the second year of operations. The flows identify a steady increase in the sorted metals and mixed waste, while a small decrease in gypsum. The increase in most of the materials received can be explained by the increase in customers at the sorting station with about 3000 individuals and the increase in truck loads to the site from 37512 to 39696 during the second year of operations. The flows show continues improvements in efficiency, as only 2966 tonnes is placed in landfills, while the rest is either recycled to new aggregate for construction or burnt for energy. The recyclability rate for the station during 2017 was 92.88%, which is an over 10% improvement from the previous year. As previously discussed in the thesis, the continued efforts to find uses for materials received at the site has paid off.
4.1.2 Delete
18 into building the basis for industrial buildings with their DeleKivi product which increased their output of the material as it became more attractive to post process the recycled aggregate.
Figure 12 MFA of Deletes operations at Ekomo (2016)
Delete processed 52 724 tonnes of C&DW at eco-industrial centre during 2016. Delete was able to recycle 28 976 tonnes of the aggregate which was crushed and used for their DeleKivi product. The screening process of the incoming C&DW yielded 257 tonnes of metals with the help of magnetisation to separate the metals from the other wastes. Since the study was not able to attain specific data for the end placement of remaining masses an assumption is made accordingly to the municipalities (HSY) operations at Ekomo. The problem about detailed data of the material flows was continually discussed throughout the study, as several entities in the field deemed it to give competitor huge advantages if such information was to be shared. The only information which could be confirmed in the interviews is that the final end placement and landfilling is not at Ekomo. The assumption bases its credibility on the fact that Delete operates within the same boundaries and at the same site as the municipality which allows similar possibilities for the end placement and use of the materials. Ekomo was able to use 68.76% of the masses for incineration in the year 2016 and the rest was moved to end placement, so the assumed percentage for Delete will be 70% to round it out. When a 70% incineration rate is applied to the flows, Delete is able to reach a reach a recyclability rate of 86.66% which is well above the standards set by the EU WFD.
“Our environmental impacts would be lower and our efficiency, from a financial perspective, would be greater if the crushing would be possible to do on the recovery site of C&DW to eliminate unnecessary transport routes for the materials” (Tommi Järvinen, interview (Appendix A).)
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Figure 13 MFA of Deletes operations at Ekomo (2017)
Figure 13 shows an abrupt drop in demolition waste received and handled by Deletes operations. Part of the reason for the significant drop is the financial aspects of post processing C&DW. “Mining native material in Finland is less expensive in some cases” Tommi Järvinen mentions in the interview (Appendix A). This leads to the volatile change in the flows. The current decision-maker in whether or not to use recycled aggregate is largely the locations of each sites as the transportation is such a major part of the process. Additionally, the current situation with more difficulties applying for permits (environmental & noise) has made the market of recycling less attractive for companies.
Assuming the same scenario as previously introduced in last year‟s operations, Delete was able to recycle 90.18% of the incoming flows to either energy or new aggregate. The same trend as for HSY applies, as efficiency has increased a few percentages since the previous year, indicating an increase in efficiency at the site. This result is expected, as the operations have only been running for a few years and it naturally takes time to find the most efficient way of recycling. The end placement and landfilling process remains unknown as no data regarding final placement could be found other than that it is done off site and not in the eco industrial centre of Ekomo, assumingly because of capacity issues.
4.1.3 NCC
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Figure 14 MFA of NCC operations at Ekomo (2016)
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Figure 15 MFA of NCC operations at Ekomo (2017)
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4.2 Result discussion
Creating a conceptual model to identify all the flows and processes is the first step towards monitoring and accounting for progress regarding sustainability goals in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The conceptual model was the first step of analysis in order to understand the system and the flows associated to it as there was no existing previous framework for accounting the flows of C&DW in the Helsinki region. The MFAs shows that the companies (private sector) operating at Ekomo largely handle waste they collect on their own demolition and construction sites. The C&DW is transported to Ekomo where the material recovery, screening and crushing is managed as the current legal landscape demands an off-site to avoid noise pollution. Post material recovery and crushing of the aggregate the recycled aggregate is either sold or used in the companies or municipalities own projects depending on the current demand. As the interviews showed, large amounts are used for projects at Ekomo. The Blominmaki water treatment facility causes capacity issues at the site because of the vast amount of aggregate mined from the site, which is why it was deemed necessary to include the project to the thesis. Based on the interview at Ekomo there is a large interest in temporary storage of C&DW which indicates a need to speed up the crushing process in order to open up more capacity at the site. Part of the problem why the crushing is not done at full capacity might be related to the environmental laws which limit the use of recycled aggregate. Ekomo documents thoroughly the runtime of the crushers and according to their annual report they not ran fully around the year. The crusher is only operational when the weather conditions and noise pollution are optimal for the runtime. More information can be found in Ekomo annual report which includes a comprehensive environmental report.
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Figure 16 The conceptual model quantified with the C&DW flows associated to Ekomo (2016)
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Figure 17 The conceptual model quantified with the C&DW flows associated to Ekomo (2017)
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Figure 18 The conceptual model quantified with all the flows associated to construction materials at Ekomo (2017)
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Figure 19 Average distance of transportation from Helsinki city centre to Ämmäsuo
Transportation between sites is causing the largest environmental and economic issues related to the flows. The city of Helsinki does not allow crushing on site because of noise pollution, which was discussed with Tommi Järvinen in the interview (Appendix A). As previously reviewed in the research background, a truck transporting 14 400 kg of freight to an off-site 35km (the average distance of transportation from Helsinki city centre to Ämmässuo) away would emit 54,1kg CO2 if the load would be full going to the site and empty on
the way back, which is the standard procedure of off-site trucking. The study consequentially uses the same example to illustrate the importance of the between sites in a general manner, as the focus of the study did not lie on the environmental issues. The CircHub project will be a pioneer to create more hubs for the material recovery of C&DW which will assist in making the transportation more efficient as the options for offsite recovery can be chosen based on the distance to the sites. Additionally, locating the new hubs strategically from a geographical point of view in the metropolitan area will have an extensive environmental effect and assist in current issues regarding time, capacity and economic viability. The extra costs associated with long off-site transportation makes recycling C&DW a less attractive option. The issues related with the transportation can be connected to the previous paragraphs suggestion of implementing a 10% requirement of recycled building materials, as coordination transportation would be significantly easier if one body would handle it, thus optimizing transport routes.
27 as the material flows themselves in order to attract companies to use the circular economy hubs. Optimization and route planning is highly encouraged in the future to benefit the most out of the CircHubs project.
C&DW as a business opportunity is current challenging which became clear when discussing the material flows with the private sector. The difficulties of receiving permits for operations at different locations at Helsinki forces the companies to turn to off sites secluded from the general metropolitan area, which costs financially and environmentally which was previously discussed. In this case the CircHubs can make a huge difference as long as the companies find a way to utilize these sites for optimized transportation routes. It important to note that in order to reach sustainability goals in the private sector it needs to be financially possible, which is a problem which does not necessary exist when talking about municipalities. The end game is to give value to our shareholders as Tommi Järvinen emphasised in the interview (Appendix A) and arguing that environmental concerns cannot go over this priority even if they would like to put more effort on the environmental goals. This can be related to the discussion in the literature review, where one of the problems with circular economy is to be able to encourage the companies to go over their normal responsibilities as the product owner. If they are to do this there needs to an incentive or an encouragement to do so as it needs to be able to fit a corporate business model. The benefits of making it more difficult to receive noise permits in the metropolitan area should be revisited and the benefits of having such arrangements should be weighted as the current situation where circular economy principles are trying to be incorporated in business models does not work because of the lack of financial viability As discussed the circular economy based strategies have been researched but the transition towards them from a traditional economy business model has not been established. To find out how to do it efficiently continued efforts into researching ways of adapting circular economy to society should be made.
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5 CONCLUSIONS
The conclusions of the study begin by summarizing the main points of the results. The main points are further discussed afterwards.
Summary of the results of the MFA
Current situation of the circular eco industrial centre and circular economy hubs
Great initiative to improve cooperation between the municipality and private sector
Provides a site for material recovery of construction and demolition wastes (burnable material is incinerated for energy, metals and other valuable material is recycled and concrete is crushed for recycled concrete)
The site has been fully operational for two years and has already reached the goal to recycled over 70% of the masses related to construction and demolition wastes set by the EU WFD 2020
Activity at the site has been steadily increased since 2015 and improvements to ensure further increase is being implemented yearly
Suggestions for further development of the eco industrial centre and circular economy hub
Increasing the operational time of the crushing and to build more facilities for temporary storage can tackle the current problem related to capacity at the site
The current data existing of the flows are scares, which allow only a general study of the flows at the site. Increasing the monitoring of the waste flows would allow more in depth reviews of the operations to improve efficiency. The EU WFD 2020 requires full transparency, which has not yet been reached in the sector.
Installing an overseeing body to optimize transportation routes between the sites and operators would ensure higher efficiency of the operations. The study identified little communication between the operators at the site which would be a key to establish a more efficient centre.
The lack of a legal infrastructure to support an efficient circular economy transition for companies does still not exist which suggests that pressure should be put on policymakers to adjust the current operational parameters to better benefit the private sector.
The main findings point towards an immediate need to improve the flows of information and to develop a system to monitor the circular economy hubs in detail. As stated previously in the thesis, half of the battle is won if the material flows can be communicated properly to stakeholders to make transportation operations and cooperation more efficient. The EU WFD sets high standards on reporting to the EC. Following up on the key goals will be impossible without a certain level of cooperation between municipal bodies and the private sector. The study was not able to access some data which is shared between the two sectors such as details on crushed concrete (requests through e-mail were denied) which leaves a part of the findings open to be determined in the close future. Yet the EU encourages in that the Member State conduct this process as transparently as possible, which still enhances the fact that informational flows should be in close focus in the future. To be able to succeed as a circular economy society the informational flows need to be as fine-tuned as the material flows.
29 further developing their operations regarding recyclable C&DW. The second issue is the lack of proper systems to monitor the flows associated with the waste. The data collected for the MFA was solely based on HSYs annual reports of the operations at Ekomo, which makes tracking the progress and development at the sites considerably more difficult. There is limited cooperation between companies which lowers the likelihood of industry symbiosis which could be a solution to a market which is currently not financially viable. The initiative to start Ekomo and the CircHubs project has established an initiative for companies to share their data and knowledge to benefit both parties, which can be seen at Ekomo. Future development encouraging the same type of connectivity between the municipality and private sector will most likely bring more availability to share data. Communication is key in order to be able to establish future networks to bridge the gap between private and governmental operators. The private sector is struggling to keep the business of recycling profitable, which can be seen from Deletes MFA and the data collected from the interview. The received C&DW during 2017 is significantly smaller then before which can be rated to the problematic situation regarding environmental permits and noise permits. Updating the Finnish legislations and laws accordingly to the development of the EU WFD is required if the goal is to meet the ambitious goals setup by the EU.
The distance to Ekomo effects transportation a lot which is also a deciding factor in the financial and environmental gains, which further justifies the CircHubs projects timing as it would bring additional possibilities of planning the waste routes instead of a fixed point. The CircHub initiative will start dealing with the problem of having proper networks for recycling C&DW. Currently the lack of sites to recycle is making the transportation of material less financially viable and environmentally expensive. As the data from the interviews showed, route planning and the financial benefits of the recycling are highly dependent on the distance to the off-site where the actual material recovery is done. The most important aspect of the new hubs will be their geographical location considering the previous sites to be able to lower the costs of transportation. The development of similar projects is required to be able to keep up with the EU WFD which is constantly being updated and developed towards EU becoming a recycling society based on circular economy principles.
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5.1 Suggestions for further research
There is a lot of room for further research in this field. Material flow analysis main strength is to communicate sets of information in a manner in which the audience has an easier task in understanding the implications. Mapping out the processes and flows has been a start towards exploring the field further.
1) LCA
The next step would be accounting for the environmental impacts of all of the associated flows in the system through and LCA with software such as SimaPro or GaBi, which could give a set of results which could then be interpreted and analysed. The option to do so in this study was considered but the actually analysis would apply to a different topic better fit for another research.
2) MFA
The study only accounted for the first years of operations at Ekomo and the first step towards developing sustainable solutions. It‟s critical to continue to track the development of these flows in the future to be able to monitor progress. Tracking the flows in the future will be comparable to the study‟s results and decisions affecting the flows can be identified as either beneficial or negative and thus assisting policy makers in making the right calls in the future.
3) Green Innovation
Researching future possibilities of reusing the C&DW is crucial to increase the demand of the extracted material. The topic is highly discussed in articles on concrete and C&DW which is referred to in the introduction. Ekomo has a great imitative to encourage universities to research at theirs sites which hopefully is a starting point to more involvement in the field regarding research and development.
4) Circular Economy
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