Alexey Spirin: Building firms need incentives to use recycled materials

State requirements put the use of recyclable materials, such as processed aluminum, at a disadvantage, stated Alexey Spirin, head of department at Russia's Rusal company, at the ministerial roundtable within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, this is because the requirements still assess materials based on capital costs, rather than the entire value chain:

"Unfortunately, no one thinks about total costs. If something is profitable, it will be implemented in any case. If it is not profitable, if there are any restrictions or barriers, then certain motivation is needed for its use. One of such motivations could be construction standards. For example, very few countries use such standards in terms of embodied carbon. In Europe, only five countries apply such standards. If you are building there, you must meet this requirement related to construction. You must achieve this by 2031, and this will allow reducing emissions by approximately 30% compared to the 2022 level."

The guest believes that governments should show goodwill and establish regulations or standards for construction with such materials: "Without this, it will be difficult to change the mindset of construction companies. It will help us move forward."