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R great impact, the materials that make up the buildings. It is time to get our hands on this “melon” if we want to meet the decarbonization goals for 2050. 50% of raw materials in europe are used in construction and less than half is recycled after demolition. That said, it should be noted that the problem is not only the consumption of natural resources, but that the manufacturing, transportation and implementation of the set of materials requires a large amount of energy , with the consequent emissions of co 2 to the environment. Atmosphere. Analyzing the life cycle of materials allows us to estimate and evaluate the environmental imp WhatsApp Number List acts of the products we use during all stages of their life cycle, and in this way choose the most appropriate materials, as well as select those that consider the globality of the economic, technical and environmental aspects. Index [ show ] The 7 phases of the materials life cycle the life cycle of a material covers different phases, from the extraction of the raw materials necessary for its production, to recycling when it is no longer useful. Next, we will see each of them in detail: 1.Extraction in this phase, all the necessary activities take place for the extraction of the raw materials required to obtain the desired material.
In many cases, the extraction and preparation of raw materials for subsequent use in the manufacturing of products requires a lot of energy, with its consequent high environmental impact. The increasing demands have prompted companies dedicated to the extraction of raw materials to adjust their processes, either by reducing their consumption, or by producing renewable energy, or by researching new raw materials. It should also be noted that many basic raw materials for construction are very far from the manufacturing site, with the consequent transportation and environmental impact that this implies. Adding to this problem is the fact that many raw materials, although abundant, may have supply problems, and some even, such as metals, have a “peak” that they have already reached or will reach shortly. There are many companies that are beginning to look for alternatives to supply their raw materials from other production cycles, incorporating circular economy criteria and reducing pressure on nature, although we are still far from closing the open cycles in construction. 2. Manufacturing during this phase, the manufacturing tasks are carried out to convert raw materials into construction products that meet the required legal, technical and commercial quality standards.

The manufacturing process also has a strong environmental impact, mainly derived from the large consumption of energy and resources necessary to achieve the appropriate product. In this sense, manufacturers begin to produce considering co 2 emissions into the atmosphere and make known the environmental impact of their materials during the manufacturing process. This information is collected in environmental product declarations (epds) and is a document that is increasingly in demand by construction professionals when prescribing a product. 3. Distribution and transportation the final product is transported to the final location. The demand for energy and resources varies depending on the type of transport, the route and the type of fuel used. To avoid this impact, there is nothing better than looking for local materials and products, with an additional benefit: promoting the local economy. 4. Use and maintenance the most important impacts derived from use are usually those related to energy consumption. If we restrict ourselves strictly to the materials used in the construction, the durability of the materials seems to be an aspect to take into account, as well as their disassembly to be replaced by others with better performance. We must not forget that at this stage it is important to consider the repairs that the product needs during its use. 5. Recycling when the material has reached the end of its useful life , whenever possible, it should be recycled, reused or returned to nature.
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