PSI - Issue 64

Patrizia Ghisellini et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 1689–1695 Author name / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

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organizations in construction industry. The LCA is regulated by the ISO standard 14040:2006; 2020 and more details about the method can be retrieved in the analysed literature (section 3.2 of this study). Some of the keywords used for the search in Web of Science database are: “ L ife cycle assessment” AND “ C onstruction materials” AND “Bio - based” . The second field of research deals with the CSUs and their role in leading innovation in construction industry ecosystems. Keywords included for the search in Web of Science database are: “Circular startup” AND “ E cosystem” as well as “Circular startup” AND “Construction” . 3. Content analysis of the literature collected for the two research fields and its results. 3. Results 3.1 Description of the selected Circular start-ups Table 1 describes the selected CSUs providing the year of foundation, their regional localization in Italy and some details about their production. Three CSUs have their headquarters in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy), one in Campania and one in Apulia regions (Southern Italy) and one in Sardinia Island. All these four regions still have a good agricultural production that continue to survive (in particular in the case of Lombardy region) despite the high role of industrialization in the economy. The interviews to some CSUs´ Founders are still ongoing and are aimed to explore the vision of the founders, understand better their production and role in the local community as well as in the whole industrial ecosystem. From the interviews clearly emerge the environmentally and socially innovative bio based production processes and products developed by the CSUs that offer the opportunity to valorize the local agricultural residues and avoid their disposal or combustion providing a response to local environmental emergences.

Table 1. Main features of the selected CSUs and their production. Assessed CSUs Foundation year Region

Main products

Prespaglia (interviewed)

2017

Apulia

Their products such as thermo bricks, thermal coatings are based on straw. The main characteristics of the latter are its high thermal insulating and sound-absorbing capacity. These features are essential for creating soundproof and relaxing buildings. The company has created a supply chain of valorization of rice by-products for the manufacturing of building products (plant materials for insulation, insulating panels, base plasters, screeds and subfloors, finishings, cladding systems) and whole building construction systems. Technocanapa produces a wide range of high performance building materials and products for an eco-friendly construction such as Blocco Ambiente made of hemp and lime block that has both insulation features and thermal capacity. The CSU is located in Sardinia region and produces materials for bio-construction coming from agro-industry surpluses and by-products such as wool, cork, hemp, vegetal surpluses, rubble, lime. A relevant feature is the ethical side of the production of the CSU since the supply chain does

Ricehouse (Certified Benefits

2016

Lombardy

Corporation) (interviewed)

Technocanapa

2015

Lombardy

Edizero

2010

Sardinia