Low-Carbon Materials Management: A Case Study for a Net-Zero Energy House with Minimized Carbon Footprint

Materials management is a method of controlling resources for a construction project. This includes the materials selection, purchasing, delivery, and waste management processes, which together constitute the project's materials management plan. While many research projects suggest efforts to reduce cost through efficient materials management, few focus on materials management from a sustainability perspective. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report titled Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead, which details the importance of sustainable materials management practices. This project directly addresses the need to identify materials management practices for sustainable projects, as identified in the report. The design of a net-zero energy building at Clemson University provided for a unique opportunity to study materials management for sustainable projects. Specifically, the research applied life-cycle assessment to calculate the estimated changes in the project's carbon footprint associated with materials management. Findings from the case study were used to identify transferrable insights for a range of projects.