B.C. environmentalist companies looking to set up construction circular economy at landfill site – constructconnect.com

Report on the Development of a Circular Economy Campus for Sustainable Construction

Project Overview and Strategic Objectives

A consortium of West Coast companies is collaborating on a pioneering initiative to establish a circular economy campus at the Ecowaste Industries Ltd. landfill site in Richmond, British Columbia. Led by the Light House Sustainability Society and Ecowaste Industries Ltd., the project aims to create a centralized hub for the reclamation, recycling, and innovation of building materials. The campus, slated to open in 2026, is designed to be a center for innovation and training, directly addressing critical challenges in waste management and sustainable industrial practices within the construction sector.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This initiative is fundamentally aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing a tangible model for local implementation. The project’s core mission directly supports the following goals:

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The campus serves as a model for sustainable industrial infrastructure, fostering innovation in material science, robotics, and construction methods.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: By diverting construction and demolition waste from landfills and promoting the reuse of materials, the project contributes to making urban centers more resilient and sustainable.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The primary objective is to establish sustainable production patterns by creating a closed-loop system for building materials, significantly reducing waste generation through reuse and recycling.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The collaboration between non-profits, private enterprises, and technology firms exemplifies the multi-stakeholder partnerships required to achieve sustainable development.

Key Stakeholders and Technological Innovations

Several innovative companies are positioned to become integral occupants of the campus, each contributing unique technologies and processes that advance specific SDGs.

1. VEMA Deconstruction and Urban Machine Inc.

   This partnership focuses on the high-value recovery of timber, a critical component for achieving SDG 12. VEMA Deconstruction salvages building materials for reuse, while Urban Machine Inc. provides advanced technology to process reclaimed lumber.

   • Technology: Urban Machine’s AI-powered robotic system, “The Machine,” uses vision systems and precision robotics to efficiently remove metal fasteners from deconstructed lumber.
   • SDG Impact: This innovation promotes a circular economy for wood, reducing the demand for virgin timber and sequestering carbon in reused materials, thereby supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action). It also represents a significant advancement under SDG 9 by applying robotics to enhance resource efficiency.

2. Plantee Bioplastics Inc.

   Plantee Bioplastics contributes by transforming industrial waste into a high-performance building product, directly supporting SDG 12 by valorizing waste streams.

   • Product: The company manufactures “Forest Foam,” a rigid thermal construction insulation made from discarded forest industry residue like sawdust and bark.
   • SDG Impact: This bio-based product offers a sustainable alternative to conventional insulation, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing building energy efficiency, which aligns with SDG 11 and SDG 13. The development of such a material is a key innovation under SDG 9.

3. Kiwi Innovation Inc.

   Kiwi Innovation focuses on the production of sustainable housing solutions, addressing the need for environmentally responsible construction practices as outlined in SDG 11.

   • Product: The company builds accessible, high-performance prefab panel homes using structural insulated panels made from sustainable materials like blown-in cellulose or hemp.
   • SDG Impact: By creating net-zero and energy-efficient homes, Kiwi Innovation contributes directly to climate mitigation efforts (SDG 13) and promotes responsible production and consumption patterns (SDG 12) within the residential construction market.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article highlights issues and solutions that are directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus on creating a circular economy for building materials addresses goals related to sustainable industry, cities, and consumption patterns. The collaborative nature of the project also touches upon the importance of partnerships.

   • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The article discusses the creation of a new “circular economy campus,” which is a form of sustainable infrastructure. It also highlights innovation through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics by Urban Machine Inc. to reclaim lumber and the development of “Forest Foam” insulation from waste by Plantee Bioplastics Inc.
   • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The project is located at a landfill site in suburban Vancouver and aims to manage waste from construction and demolition projects, which is a significant challenge for urban areas. By recycling materials like concrete and wood, and preparing sites for future development, the initiative contributes to making cities more sustainable.
   • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: This is the most central SDG to the article. The entire concept of a “circular economy operation” is about shifting from a linear “take-make-dispose” model to one that emphasizes recycling and reuse. Companies like Ecowaste, VEMA Deconstruction, and Urban Machine are focused on reducing waste generation by giving new life to discarded building materials.
   • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article explicitly details a partnership between multiple entities. The Light House Sustainability Society (a non-profit) and Ecowaste Industries Ltd. are driving the initiative, bringing together other private companies like VEMA Deconstruction, Urban Machine Inc., Plantee Bioplastics Inc., and Kiwi Innovation Inc. to achieve a common sustainability objective.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the activities described, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

   SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.4: “By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes…” The development of the circular economy campus is a direct effort to create sustainable infrastructure. The adoption of Urban Machine’s AI and robotics to process deconstructed lumber is a clear example of adopting clean and environmentally sound technology to increase resource efficiency.

   SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.6: “By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.” The project directly addresses the “other waste management” aspect of this target by creating a system to recycle and reuse construction and demolition waste from the Vancouver Lower Mainland, thereby reducing the amount of material sent to landfills.

   SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • Target 12.2: “By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.” The work of VEMA Deconstruction in salvaging “structural beams to fixtures and fittings” and Urban Machine in recovering wood demonstrates the efficient use of natural resources by preventing virgin materials from being used.
   • Target 12.5: “By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.” This target is the core mission of the campus. Ecowaste “recycles concrete, asphalt, bricks and tiles as well as discarded wood materials,” directly contributing to recycling. VEMA ensures “salvageable items find new life,” which is a form of reuse.

   SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The article describes a multi-stakeholder partnership between a civil society organization (Light House Sustainability Society) and several private sector companies (Ecowaste, VEMA, Urban Machine, etc.) to build a circular economy campus, perfectly illustrating this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that could be used to measure progress:

   For SDG 9 (Target 9.4)

   • Implied Indicator: Adoption of new technologies. The article mentions Urban Machine’s AI-powered “The Machine” and Plantee’s “Forest Foam” made from forest residue. Progress could be measured by the number of innovative, sustainable technologies deployed at the campus and the volume of material they process.

   For SDG 11 (Target 11.6)

   • Implied Indicator: Amount of waste diverted from landfills. The primary function of the Ecowaste site is to recycle construction materials. A direct indicator of progress would be the total tonnage of concrete, asphalt, bricks, tiles, and wood materials processed at the campus annually, which would otherwise have remained as landfill waste.

   For SDG 12 (Targets 12.2 & 12.5)

   • Implied Indicator: Quantity of materials recycled and reused. The article states that Urban Machine’s AI “calculating the quantity and quality of the wood it recovers.” This provides a direct, measurable indicator. The total volume of salvaged materials (beams, fixtures) by VEMA and the square footage of “Forest Foam” produced by Plantee would also serve as key performance indicators for waste reduction and resource efficiency.

   For SDG 17 (Target 17.17)

   • Mentioned Indicator: Number of partners in the initiative. The article explicitly names the participating organizations: Light House Sustainability Society, Ecowaste, VEMA Deconstruction, Urban Machine Inc., Plantee Bioplastics Inc., and Kiwi Innovation Inc. The growth in the number of businesses joining the campus would be a clear indicator of the partnership’s success and expansion.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators (Mentioned or Implied in the Article)
   SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure	9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and industries for sustainability and adopt clean technologies.	Deployment of new technologies like AI-powered robotics for wood reclamation (“The Machine”) and production of insulation from forest waste (“Forest Foam”).
   SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, particularly in waste management.	Tonnage of construction and demolition waste (concrete, asphalt, wood) recycled and diverted from the landfill.
   SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production	12.2: Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through recycling and reuse.	Quantity and quality of recovered wood calculated by AI; volume of salvaged materials (beams, fixtures) reused in new projects; amount of recycled materials processed.
   SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.17: Encourage and promote effective public-private and civil society partnerships.	The number of collaborating entities (Light House, Ecowaste, VEMA, Urban Machine, Plantee, Kiwi Innovation) forming the circular economy campus.

Source: canada.constructconnect.com