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The expression raw material refers

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to primary raw materials used

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either in their raw state

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or after being subjected to

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one chemical change. But if

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we add the word secondary,

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the term then refers to

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raw materials that have been

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transformed into a product usable

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in production processes as a

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replacement for the initial raw

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material. The basic principle is

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that a single material is

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used more than once. Because

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construction products account for 40%

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of all raw materials extracted

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from the earth's crust, like

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sand, gravel, clay, iron, gypsum,

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and so on. So turning

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to secondary raw materials as

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a replacement for steel, aluminum,

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cement, and plastic has the

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potential to reduce these emissions

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by almost 40% by the

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year 2050, according to the

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Ellen MacArthur Foundation. I'm James.

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And I'm Amy. Together, let's

0:58

decode the ideas that are

1:00

shaping the future of sustainable

1:02

construction. Constructing new worlds

1:04

by Saint-Gobain. Behind words,

1:07

solutions and innovations for

1:09

a sustainable future. The

1:12

expression secondary raw materials,

1:14

also known as SRM, emerged

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in the industrial sector and

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in the construction industry in

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the late 2000s. Concretely.

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The term can refer, for instance,

1:25

to waste sewage sludge from

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water treatment plants, recovered, and

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reused in construction materials. But this

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example represents just a tiny proportion

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of the total materials used in

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the industry at a global

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level, even if a great deal

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of progress has been made in

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recent years, in certain channels, especially

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aluminum, paper, gypsum, and glass. For

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other materials like timber, textiles, plastic,

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bio waste, or aggregate derived from

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construction and demolition waste, a second

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transformation stage for products has not

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yet been fully developed. And that's

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why the purport... of secondary materials incorporated

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into products has barely increased

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in 20 years. One of

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the reasons for these problems is

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the status of SRM. It's because

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it's midway between waste and a

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product. If technically speaking transformed residue

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can become a usable product in

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manufacturing processes, things aren't quite as

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simple at the regulatory and legislative

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levels. In fact, not everyone agrees

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at what point or after which

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processes waste becomes a secondary material.

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Changes are happening. Europe with

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its Green Deal has a circular

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economy action plan and is taking

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steps to change SRM from the

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status of waste. Yeah, and there's

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also quality and cost factors. For

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example, when concrete structures are

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demolished, deposits of natural aggregate

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can be saved using select

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deconstruction techniques that separate concrete

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waste from other materials.

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But these practices are not yet

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very widespread. Above all, once recovered,

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Demolition waste is often polluted by

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other waste because it's not separated

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at the source. It then has to

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go on to be depolluted before

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being transformed. In addition, their composition

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may be different from similar products

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recently put on the market. In

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fact, given that some products may

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have been inside a building for

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30 or 50 years or more,

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their chemical composition may have changed

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over time. This is a long way

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of saying that it's difficult to

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obtain quality close to that of

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a virgin product. And let's be

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honest, it's hard to make a

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convincing case for using SRM when

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the cost is higher than for

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a primary raw ingredient. Despite

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everything, in most countries,

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for instance, European countries,

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actors are taking SRM

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in this direction through

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various initiatives. Legislation

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like France's law for green growth,

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and research programs. Yes, too many

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to really mention, but it's worth

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citing the European Interreg Suram. which

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is the Secondary Raw Materials

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for Concrete Precast Products. It's

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a project that ran between

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2017 and 2020 and increased

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the use of secondary raw

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materials in prefabricated concrete products.

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Yeah, and another European project

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was set up to facilitate

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reuse in construction. It's

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called Facilitating the Circulation of

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Reclaimed Building Elements, or FCRBE.

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A joint project with seven other

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actors, including Bellestock. and the

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CSTB, France's Scientific and Technical

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Center for Building. There's a

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few interesting examples there, but to

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take things a little further, we

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need to get to a point

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where secondary products come up to

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market standards and do not weaken

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the overall performance of materials. Regulations

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could, for example, make it compulsory

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to use a proportion of SRM.

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This would encourage different industries to

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step up their efforts. Another option

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could be financial incentives to promote

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recycled content, or to increase the

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costs and restrictions against landfilling, and

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try to reverse this trend. That's

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exactly what the new extended

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producer responsibility rules for construction

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materials in France are aiming for.

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They set a target for the

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recovery rate of demolition waste overall,

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as well as for specific materials

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like glass or plaster. There's also

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a target for the percentage of

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construction materials reused. And on top

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of all that. Economy of scale

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is needed so that industrial actors

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can reduce their costs. This will

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come if the market becomes more

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structured. That's the direction the European

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Union is going in. Developing SRM

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markets to facilitate the circulation of

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good quality recycled materials in the

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European economy and minimize the need

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to mine new resources. Indeed Amy,

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what's needed is an ecosystem of

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actors working together on the subject.

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So, to summarize, granting a different

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status to secondary raw materials

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and allowing industry actors to

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define performance characteristic and organized

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channels will offer solutions to

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this major environmental issue, issue,

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reducing pressure on natural

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resources as well as cutting

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greenhouse gas emissions. This

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won't happen without more

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regulations and financial incentives. Not

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to mention partnerships. This

6:17

is a team effort a all. after

6:19

all. constructing

6:24

new worlds by Sanguba. Behind words

6:26

solutions and innovations for

6:28

a sustainable future. future.