Multi-Criteria Ranking of Green Materials According to the Goals of Sustainable Development

Amirhossein Balali, Alireza Valipour, Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas and Zenonas Turskis
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Amirhossein Balali: Department of Civil Engineering, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz 5-71993, Iran
Alireza Valipour: Department of Civil Engineering, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz 5-71993, Iran
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas: Institute of Sustainable Construction, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT–10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Zenonas Turskis: Institute of Sustainable Construction, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT–10223 Vilnius, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: Modern, well-educated and experienced policy-makers support and promote the use of environmentally friendly materials and resources. The use of green resources is an exceptional and inevitable strategy to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Earth population. The growing population raises the need for new housing construction and urban infrastructure development. Such substances in construction refer to green building materials (GBMs). The environmental impact is lower if GBMs replace non-GBMs. Here, ranking among GBMs can facilitate and support the selection process. This study aimed to contribute to the body of knowledge to introduce a method for identifying and prioritizing GBMs in the construction industry to use in green building. The required data were collected using existing literature, interviews and questionnaires. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the first criteria for assessing GBM selection criteria. Critical weighted GBM selection criteria are the second criteria for prioritizing GBMs. The results show that “Natural, Plentiful and Renewable”, “Affordability from cradle to gate” and “Affordability during operation” are the top three GBM selection criteria. The real case study helped select “Stramit Strawboard”, “Aluminium Composite Panels (ACPs)” and “Solar Roof Tiles” as the most suitable GBMs for use in the context of the study. The model and results presented in this study will help actors of the construction industry to select and use GBMs more quickly and thus achieve a better level of construction sustainability, as well as environmental friendliness, than before.

Keywords: green building materials (GBMs); building industry; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); construction industry; MCDM; SWARA method; COPRAS method; real case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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