Environmental sustainability: Blend Plants’ commitment to reducing waste and emissions
The construction and building sector is among those that, in Italy and around the world, continue to have the strongest impact on the environment. Looking specifically at Italy, in 2020 the Ministry of Economic Development published a report examining data related to the civil construction sector. This sector is responsible for approximately 45% of final energy consumption and 17.5% of direct CO₂ emissions.
These figures should make us reflect, highlighting the need for rapid action aimed at achieving environmental sustainability.
It is not only a matter of energy consumption. The resources used—such as raw materials and water—as well as the production of waste, noise, dust, and other substances generated on construction sites, all have a significant environmental impact. Each phase of these processes can potentially contribute to environmental damage.
Environmental impact assessment
The LCA method (Life Cycle Assessment) is the system used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s, process’s, or service’s life cycle. This includes raw material extraction and processing, production, distribution, use, recycling, and final disposal. The LCA method is essential for identifying areas of improvement and developing strategies to reduce environmental impacts.
One of the most important phases is the life cycle inventory, where all input flows (energy, raw materials, water) and output flows (emissions, waste) associated with the system under analysis are collected and quantified.
The data collected in the inventory is then analyzed to assess potential environmental impacts. These impacts are categorized into several groups, such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, resource depletion, and human toxicity. Each impact category is quantified to provide a complete picture of the environmental effects of the system.
The results are then interpreted to draw conclusions and make recommendations. This phase involves analyzing the data to identify the stages with the highest environmental impacts and to develop strategies to improve the sustainability of the product or service.
In the construction sector, this method is used to evaluate the environmental impact of building materials, construction processes, and maintenance or demolition operations. This makes it possible to identify more sustainable solutions and improve building practices.
LCA considers the entire product life cycle, providing a comprehensive view of environmental impacts and preventing the risk of shifting impacts from one phase to another. It also offers data and insights that can guide corporate and policy decisions toward more sustainable practices.
Reducing waste and emissions: Blend Plants’ commitment
Blend Plants is committed to the future and to reducing, as much as possible, the environmental impact of the construction sector. For this reason, recycling construction site waste plays a central role, and Blend Plants has always recognized its importance.
Recycling concrete, for example, is made extremely simple thanks to the Betonblock system, which transforms waste into a useful resource that can be reused. This circularity approach supports environmental protection while making production processes more efficient by reducing both environmental footprint and costs. Companies that recycle construction waste also cut the costs of purchasing new raw materials.
These benefits are essential today when considering the future, EU directives on sustainability, and the ongoing commitment needed to preserve the environment for generations to come.
