298
S. Giorgi et al.
In order to activate circular strategies, a change in relationships among the
stakeholders of the building value chain, is necessary.
Consequently, it is very important to support the operators’ network, in activating
circularity during the building process, also by using BIM software, to improve
the cooperation from the early stage of the process. Moreover, it is important to
identify competences and new operators, in order to accomplish the disassembly and
remanufacturing phase, to trace the material flows, to improve the collection and
to exchange second-life materials, towards a reuse/remanufacturing materials value
chain. At the same time, it is important to define the space to store and collect all
material quantities (big or small) destined to a second-life.
The promotion of circular business models that shift ownership from user to
producer can be useful to overcome the difficulties of relationships among the
stakeholders and the problems concerning responsibility and adding new
professional figures in the product/service value chain, for example, introducing
warranties or third-party figures that play an “insurance” role for the reused
material.
4.3 Life Cycle Tools as a Decision-Making Support
The analysis of the state of the art (Giorgi et al. 2017; Geissdoerfer et al. 2017)
concerning the application of the life cycle tools within scientific articles, shows
that, at the moment, the combination of the circular economy and life cycle tools is
still very lacking. Moreover, the link between circular economy and sustainability
is not yet clear in the literature (Blomsma and Brennan 2017). Circular economy
strategies should aim at safeguarding resources in all life stages of a
product/service, encouraging reuse and upcycling with sustainability verification,
through the application of life cycle tools for an environmental and economic
benefit assessment.
It is, therefore, necessary to evaluate the sustainability of circularity strategies
through instruments that are recognized, such as the methodologies involving lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost, which are the ISO-standardized methodologies
used to quantify the real benefit, avoiding burden-shifting among different life-cycle
phases.
These fundamental assessments must be introduced during the decision-making
phases of the regeneration process, from the end of life management of the existing
building to the renovation planning phase. Specifically, the design phase is crucial
for assessing the environmental impact and market opportunities with the life-cycle
approach. The use of life cycle tools, for example, can highlight the benefits of
renovation rather than total demolition, and of a reversible building instead of a
traditional one. In this way, it is possible to avoid unnecessary upstream waste and
maximize the value and sustainable use of materials. Another important phase
during the entire process is the waste management phase when, thanks to a
previous environmental and economic life-cycle assessment, it is possible to decide
S. Giorgi et al.
In order to activate circular strategies, a change in relationships among the
stakeholders of the building value chain, is necessary.
Consequently, it is very important to support the operators’ network, in activating
circularity during the building process, also by using BIM software, to improve
the cooperation from the early stage of the process. Moreover, it is important to
identify competences and new operators, in order to accomplish the disassembly and
remanufacturing phase, to trace the material flows, to improve the collection and
to exchange second-life materials, towards a reuse/remanufacturing materials value
chain. At the same time, it is important to define the space to store and collect all
material quantities (big or small) destined to a second-life.
The promotion of circular business models that shift ownership from user to
producer can be useful to overcome the difficulties of relationships among the
stakeholders and the problems concerning responsibility and adding new
professional figures in the product/service value chain, for example, introducing
warranties or third-party figures that play an “insurance” role for the reused
material.
4.3 Life Cycle Tools as a Decision-Making Support
The analysis of the state of the art (Giorgi et al. 2017; Geissdoerfer et al. 2017)
concerning the application of the life cycle tools within scientific articles, shows
that, at the moment, the combination of the circular economy and life cycle tools is
still very lacking. Moreover, the link between circular economy and sustainability
is not yet clear in the literature (Blomsma and Brennan 2017). Circular economy
strategies should aim at safeguarding resources in all life stages of a
product/service, encouraging reuse and upcycling with sustainability verification,
through the application of life cycle tools for an environmental and economic
benefit assessment.
It is, therefore, necessary to evaluate the sustainability of circularity strategies
through instruments that are recognized, such as the methodologies involving lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost, which are the ISO-standardized methodologies
used to quantify the real benefit, avoiding burden-shifting among different life-cycle
phases.
These fundamental assessments must be introduced during the decision-making
phases of the regeneration process, from the end of life management of the existing
building to the renovation planning phase. Specifically, the design phase is crucial
for assessing the environmental impact and market opportunities with the life-cycle
approach. The use of life cycle tools, for example, can highlight the benefits of
renovation rather than total demolition, and of a reversible building instead of a
traditional one. In this way, it is possible to avoid unnecessary upstream waste and
maximize the value and sustainable use of materials. Another important phase
during the entire process is the waste management phase when, thanks to a
previous environmental and economic life-cycle assessment, it is possible to decide