New research reveals how standardized materials passports can transform buildings into resource banks—cutting waste, slashing carbon, and setting the foundation for a circular construction future.
Study: Eight recommendations to adopt materials passports and accelerate material reuse in construction: insights from academia and practice. Image Credit: JU.STOCKER/SHutterstock.com
A recent study published in the journal npj | Materials Sustainability explored the crucial role of material passports (MPs) in promoting material reuse within the construction industry.
The researchers emphasized the urgent need for sustainable practices to mitigate the environmental impacts of conventional building methods. As such, they proposed eight recommendations to accelerate the adoption of MPs. These digital tools document the lifecycle and properties of construction materials, thereby promoting resource efficiency and supporting the transition toward a circular economy.
The Need for Sustainable Practices in Construction
The construction industry is among the most resource-intensive sectors globally, accounting for nearly 40 % of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. As the world shifts toward sustainability, innovative strategies to reduce environmental impact have become essential.
MPs serve as digital databases containing comprehensive information about construction materials, including their composition, origin, and lifecycle. By enabling the tracking and tracing of materials, they help preserve material identity and support reuse and recycling, reducing reliance on virgin resources and minimizing waste. This approach aligns with global sustainability goals and the increasing regulatory pressures aimed at reducing carbon footprints.
The Study
For this study, the research team explored the use of MPs as a core strategy to support sustainable construction practices. They emphasized that nearly 80 % of the buildings expected to be in use by 2050 are already built, highlighting the importance of retrofitting existing structures and reusing materials to lower carbon emissions and meet net-zero targets.
The study also points to the urgent need for a standardized framework to support data interoperability and enable smooth information exchange across digital platforms. To help shape this framework, the team conducted 22 dialogic interviews and hosted two consultation events involving more than 50 professionals from the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector.
These conversations offered key insights into persistent challenges such as identifying materials, improving data-sharing practices, and fostering a broader cultural appreciation for reused materials.
Strategic Recommendations for Adoption
To facilitate widespread adoption and accelerate material reuse, eight important recommendations were proposed:
- Prioritize Whole-Building Reuse: Retain and retrofit existing structures to minimize waste and reduce embodied carbon emissions, recognizing the value of existing resources.
- Conduct Pre-Redevelopment Audits: Evaluate existing buildings to identify opportunities for reuse before initiating new construction, ensuring that valuable materials are not discarded.
- Favor Deconstruction Over Demolition: Promote the careful disassembly of structures to recover reusable materials, rather than complete demolition, which often results in significant waste.
- Prepare Deconstruction Plans: Develop strategies that outline the reclamation, sorting, and reintegration of materials into future projects, thereby enhancing efficiency in material recovery.
- Establish Standardization Systems: Create interoperable frameworks ensuring compatibility among different MP databases, facilitating easy data exchange across platforms.
- Produce materials passports databases aligned with the lifecycle of the building— existing, proposed, and completed—to support dynamic reuse strategies and reduce material loss across phases.
- Incorporate Reused Materials: Encourage designers, contractors, and developers to actively source and integrate reclaimed materials into new builds, fostering innovation in design and construction practices.
- Create Regulations Supporting Cultural Shifts: Implement policies that recognize and reward the value of material reuse, incentivizing stakeholders to prioritize sustainable practices.
Together, these recommendations provide a strategic roadmap for integrating materials passports into construction practice.
By bridging the gap between academia and industry, the framework fosters collaboration, enhances data interoperability, and supports a circular economy. Implementing these measures could substantially reduce the sector’s carbon footprint while promoting a sustainable, resource-efficient built environment.
Transforming Decision-Making with Materials Passports
MPs have significant potential to transform the construction industry by enabling data-driven decision-making around material sourcing, reuse, and recycling. Through these digital records, architects and engineers can identify reusable components from existing structures, reducing the need for new materials and minimizing waste. The findings enhance collaboration among stakeholders, including contractors, suppliers, and regulators, by standardizing data formats and ensuring interoperability.
The study introduces a multi-tiered classification system for MPs, aligned with the Uniclass framework, which allows materials to be documented across different levels, including Material Passports, Product Passports, System Passports, Element Passports, and a Building Passport. This structure promotes clarity and enables integration across platforms and stages of a building’s lifecycle.
The authors propose creating three distinct databases—one for existing buildings, one for proposed designs, and one upon project completion—to track material flows and facilitate reuse. This lifecycle-based structure helps ensure transparency, supports procurement planning, and improves end-of-life recovery outcomes.
The study also discusses the potential role of emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and RFID systems in enabling more secure, transparent, and real-time tracking of materials. These digital tools could further support scalable, automated creation of MPs and improve trust among stakeholders.
This shared framework promotes efficient project coordination, cost reduction, and improved sustainability outcomes. The study highlights the practical benefits of MPs in optimizing resource management and waste reduction across the construction lifecycle. Moreover, by aligning MPs with upcoming European regulations on Digital Product Passports (DPPs), the framework anticipates future policy needs and enhances cross-border applicability.
Additionally, regulatory support and incentives are crucial to promoting a cultural shift toward valuing material reuse and recognizing its environmental benefits. The authors stress that both economic and social value, alongside environmental considerations, must be reflected in future legislation.
Conclusion
In summary, this study presents a compelling case for the adoption of MPs to facilitate sustainable transformation in the construction sector. By providing a standardized framework for tracking and managing building materials, it can facilitate material reuse, reduce waste, and support progress toward global sustainability goals.
Researchers emphasized the need for collective action among industry stakeholders and policymakers to implement the proposed strategies. The successful integration of MPs has the potential to reshape construction practices, ensuring that materials are valued throughout their lifecycle while minimizing environmental impacts.
Achieving this transformation will require technological innovation, supportive policies, regulatory frameworks, and cultural shifts that encourage reuse and recycling. Future work should explore the practical applications of MPs in real-world projects to refine their implementation and enhance their effectiveness.
Ultimately, the adoption of materials passports represents a strategic pathway toward a more resource-efficient, low-carbon, and sustainable built environment.
Journal Reference
Costa, A.R., Hoolahan, R. & Charef, R. (2025). Eight recommendations to adopt materials passports and accelerate material reuse in construction: insights from academia and practice. npj Mater. Sustain. 3, 33 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44296-025-00079-3, https://www.nature.com/articles/s44296-025-00079-3
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