Understanding sustainable building products like DryStack with LCA

In a world increasingly focused on sustainability and reuse, Flux Partners played a crucial role in preparing an LCA for the innovative product DryStack. The product consisting of reusable building elements based on glass fibre and plastic, is designed to replace traditional masonry mortar to extend the life and reusability of the elements. The need for specialised expertise brought DryStack – Eco Intelligence to Flux Partners. The challenge was clear: how to model the sustainability of a reusable wall.

DryStack is an innovative and specialised product made of glass fibres and plastic. Whereas masonry mortar normally glues the entire wall together, the DryStack elements are specifically designed to be detachable and reusable. The environmental benefit of this project therefore lay in modelling the full reusability of the brick wall. The complexity lay in balancing the environmental impact of glass fibre composites, the main component of the product, with the potential environmental gain by making the entire wall reusable. This is where Flux Partners’ LCA expertise came in. Using a meticulous approach, Flux Partners produced a life-cycle analysis (LCA) that examined both the use of aesthetic masonry mortar and the pure reuse of the wall. This provided a detailed insight into the environmental impact of DryStack’s innovative approach.

The LCA was prepared according to the determination method and standards. Flux first built the LCAs, including with and without aesthetic masonry mortar, in the programme SimaPro (9.1) and then prepared the substantive LCA report. A sensitivity analysis was used to calculate different processing scenarios to identify the impact of full reuse. The team at Flux Partners, led by Arjan Zuidema and Marnix Hiemstra, worked closely with an LCA expert who checked and approved both the LCA and the report.

The result? A comprehensive LCA report that provided insight into how DryStack’s reusable wall, with or without aesthetic masonry mortar, could be a sustainable choice for the Dutch construction market. Flux Partners’ strength resides in their focused approach, fully dedicating their expertise to deliver an official and recognised product crucial to the evolution of sustainable building practices.

In a world that demands change and responsibility, Flux Partners remains at the forefront of creating innovative solutions that go beyond the horizon of the present and extend into a sustainable future. Want to know more about how Flux Partners can help you with your sustainability ambitions? Then please contact us. We look forward to working with you on a sustainable future.