Background and Purpose

The Problem

In assessing crop and animal based materials, a significant problem faced by the construction industry is that it is very easy to label such naturally derived materials as ‘Green’. The reality is that little detailed environmental, social or economic assessment work has been undertaken on these materials, which undermines the ability to validate these claims and compare such products with conventional alternatives. This in turn presents a barrier to their uptake both with materials processors and their customers. Major issues that are of concern include:

• Impact during the growing and harvesting process, including fertilizers and pesticides
• The possible impact of intensive production of crops on the ecosystem.
• Energy consumption and chemicals used during fibre extraction processes.
• Difficulty in the recycling, recovery and re-use of the material.
• Limitations in life due to water ingress and biodegradation.
• Cost advantages and implications in the use of crop-based systems.
• A number of other issues are also relevant as the use of non-food crops grows, including biodiversity, genetic modification, quotas and workforce patterns.

Aim of the Project

To address this problem, we are proposing a simple paper-based Guide and the development of an interactive web calculation tool to give comparative results on the environmental, social and economic credentials of naturally-derived materials for the construction industry.
The project will produce information, guidance and tools that are crucial for an understanding of the sustainability of these materials and their comparison to conventional alternatives. This will enable the many companies in the sector to make well-informed decisions about the likely benefits of crop-based materials without the cost and time requirements of detailed life-cycle impact studies. It will also allow the industry to interact with clients with a more informed approach, further stimulating the growth of materials derived from crops. The aim of the project is to generate this information and in doing so facilitate the expansion and growth of non-food crop and animal derived materials in UK markets.
This project will build on work that was completed in 2004 through DTI as part of the Sustainable Technologies Initiative, which presented the environmental and social implications of a range of composite materials and processes in ‘The Green Guide to Composites’ and a free industry software assessment tool  . This project will complement this work and improve the content by the inclusion of information on non-food crop and animal derived materials, including composite structural materials, insulation, paints & finishes, textiles (membranes, vapour barriers etc), floor products and roofing.