The entire lifecycle of products and materials should be considered in efforts towards sustainable retail design.
Circularity begins at construction – in the European Union, construction and demolition waste, or CDW, accounts for more than a third of all waste generated.[12]
By understanding the key differences between different building materials, interior finishes, and furniture, the architects, designers, and builders of retail spaces can make more sustainable choices about the materials and products they procure in new constructions and renovations alike.
- Production and construction emissions: Major factors to consider for the total impact of building materials and products are manufacturing production, transport, energy use of construction machines, processing energy use, and the disposal of waste.[13]
- Reuse: The wide availability of second-hand markets makes it easy to purchase pre-owned items such as materials, building components, appliances, and furniture. Product modularity and adaptability mean that items can easily be relocated from one space to another, particularly useful in cases where retailers move locations. When it comes to building materials, the reuse potential for recovered materials from demolition waste varies from one material to the next, and as such should be taken into consideration. For example, the reuse potential for structural steel and cladding is high.[14]
- Recycled: Many commonly-used materials can be recycled indefinitely, including steel, aluminium, glass, and stone. However, not all products with recycled content are equal. Materials that have recycled content that require resource-intensive technologies for separating, crushing, and processing can offset the goal of using recycled materials in the first place.
- Recyclability: Thinking ahead to the future, opting for products that can be recycled at the end of their service life allows them to ultimately re-enter the supply chain. A studied understanding of the recycling potential for the product at hand is key since many materials such as concrete and fibre-reinforced plastics cannot easily be recycled. Even when recycling options exist, the process tends to downgrade the quality and functionality to some extent.
- Durability: Durable products retain their quality and performance without requiring maintenance or replacement. As such, they consume less resources, create less waste in the long-run, and can stretch the environmental impact of their manufacturing emissions over a longer period.
Many of these material and product selection considerations across retail tie into the next point, design for disassembly.
Design for Disassembly
The complete lifecycle of all products and materials should be considered for truly sustainable retail design. Easy disassembly of building components allows for both reuse and recycling, ensuring they remain in the supply chain rather than heading for incineration or the landfill.
For reuse, products and materials ideally function (and look) just as well as they did when they were first installed. Product modularity is often convenient here.
As for recycling, when non-recyclable components cannot be salvaged from a material intended for recycling, they are considered contaminated. This often means they cannot be easily recycled. Contamination control is key to ensuring that disassembled products and materials maintain their recycling potential.
Products that can easily be disassembled often have:[15]
- Materials with simple compositions
- Standard size components
- Mechanical joint methods (instead of gluing or welding)
By planning for the future and incorporating disassembly design right from the start, landlords of commercial spaces, their designers, and their tenants can take appropriate measures to extend the lifetime of the materials and products they use. This consideration is especially important in existing retail outlets that experience high tenant turnover.
