Copper is getting a reputation as a “green” metal, but a new study is suggesting it can also help reduce carbon emissions in the construction industry.
That’s big news. The building and construction sector globally accounts for roughly 40% of energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year, while manufacturing building materials and construction are responsible for an additional 11%.
The study by the International Copper Association and Sphera looked at the environmental impacts of three water installation tube systems—copper, plastic multilayer pipes (PEX-Al) and plastic cross-linked polyethylene (PEX).
The full study is comprehensive and we recommend reading it in full, but a quick summary of some findings suggest:
- Compared to systems made from plastic (PEX-Al and PEX), copper tube systems used to transport fluids in buildings (e.g., drinking water, heating, air conditioning, gases) are better for decarbonisation.
- Compared to the plastic systems, only the copper system has guaranteed material circularity. Copper’s circularity greatly reduces the environmental impact of buildings, particularly if the future product life cycles consider the use of recycled copper.
Full study: https://copperalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ICA-ExecSummary-ReduceCarbonEmissions-202210-R3.pdf