Barriers to the use of sustainable materials in Australian building projects

Abstract

PurposeAlthough the adverse effects of construction activities on the environment and the need for sustainable construction practices are recognised in both research and practice, any significant shift in the selection and use of construction materials from the sustainability perspective has not taken place in many building projects. Still, conventional construction materials are widely used in building projects in both developed and developing countries. This study attempts to identify the main barriers to the use of sustainable materials in building projects in an advanced economy such as Australia.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a questionnaire survey approach to examine the main reasons behind the low usage of sustainable materials in building projects. Based on the relative importance index, exploratory factor analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis, the study examined the main barrier measures and barrier factors to the use of sustainable materials in building projects.FindingsThe findings reveal that critical barriers to the use of sustainable materials are related to cost and profit considerations, the unwillingness of the key stakeholders to incorporate these materials into building projects, lack of incentives and government policies. The factor analysis reduced the critical barrier measures into three factors: techno-economic considerations, cost and delay concerns and resistance to use. Furthermore, multinomial regression analysis based on the extracted factors identified techno-economic considerations as the main barrier factor to the use of sustainable materials in building projects.Practical implicationsThe empirical results of this research can inform construction practitioners, organisations and policymakers on how to increase the use of sustainable building materials in the construction industry.Originality/valueIdentification of barriers to the use of sustainable building materials is a prerequisite to improve their uptake and use in the construction industry. The study fills a gap in the existing research on the use of sustainable materials in building projects in Australia.

Assessment of barriers to the adoption of sustainable building materials (SBM) in the construction industry of a developing country

“…The assessed variables have the capability to limit or hinder the widespread adoption and implementation of SBM in Nigeria and by extension other developing countries of Africa and beyond that have similar construction markets as Nigeria. The findings in this section is in consonance with what have been reported in previous studies (AlSanad, 2015;Ofori and Kien, 2004;Darko et al, 2017;Abraham and Gundimeda, 2018;Addy et al, 2021;Nikyema and Blouin, 2020;Gounder et al, 2021).…”

“…The findings in this section is in consonance with what have been reported in previous studies (AlSanad, 2015; Ofori and Kien, 2004; Darko et al ., 2017; Abraham and Gundimeda, 2018; Addy et al. , 2021; Nikyema and Blouin, 2020; Gounder et al ., 2021).…”

“…The use of the questionnaire followed similar studies that contribute to the sustainability discussion (sustainable/green materials and sustainable construction) in the built environment (e.g. Abraham and Gundimeda, 2018; Gounder et al ., 2021). In addition, the questionnaire is widely used for social research (Blaxter et al ., 2001), it is simple to use and it can cover a large audience in a shorter period (Tan, 2011).…”

“…In the US construction industry, Darko et al (2017) reported that the major critical barriers to the adoption of green building technologies (GBTs) are: resistance to change from the use of traditional technologies, lack of knowledge and awareness GBTs and their benefits, high cost, lack of GB experts/skilled labour and lack of government incentives/ supports. In the Australian construction sector, Gounder et al (2021) examined the reasons for the low usage of sustainable materials for building projects are higher cost, possible cost overruns, lack of incentive, lack of government policies on promoting the use of SBMs and unwillingness to change at the industry level. These barriers must be overcome by stakeholders to improve the incorporation of SBMs in the future building project and in making existing buildings green.…”

“…In spite of the importance of SBMs, their selection and use are still limited in driving sustainability in building construction projects in most nations. Furthermore, what are still widely used are the traditional CBMs for building projects in both industrialised and emerging countries of the world (Gounder et al ., 2021). This is in spite of the importance attached to sustainable construction and the level of attention it has attracted in recent decades by both researchers and industry practitioners.…”