Full lengtyh article
Environmental impact of construction transport and the effects of building certification schemes

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105688Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Building certification schemes reduce number of transports.

  • Construction transports are responsible of 10% of the CO2 emissions.

  • Construction logistics setups (CLSs) influence average number of transports.

  • Usefulness of CLSs might depend on project type and phase.

Abstract

The construction industry is associated with low productivity growth rates and environmental harm and, has a crucial role to play to reach the SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015. Construction logistics offer useful solutions to improve both the productivity and sustainability of the industry. The purpose of this paper is to investigate, in detail, the environmental impact of construction transport and whether the building certification scheme for a construction project has any influence on its transport arrangements. The analysis in this paper is based on a multiple case study of 40 Swedish projects. The results show that construction projects with better environmental ratings generated less emissions from construction transport. However, among the ten projects with highest transport/m2, five were certified. Construction logistics solutions (CLSs) such as terminals and checkpoints are useful in reducing the number of transports, and thereby reducing emissions. But the usefulness of a CLS is influenced by gross floor area and type of project, as well as the phase which the solution is implemented in. This study contributes to a better understanding of construction transport patterns and reducing environmental harm of these transports. The results of this paper are beneficial for construction site managers, logistics consultants and transport companies, helping them to implement CLSs in a more useful way, depending on the phase and type of project.

Keywords

Certification schemes
CLS
Construction logistics
Construction transport
Emissions
SDGs

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