Publications by year
2022
Azcarate-Aguerre JF, Conci M, Zils M, Hopkinson P, Klein T (2022). Building energy retrofit-as-a-service: a Total Value of Ownership assessment methodology to support whole life-cycle building circularity and decarbonisation.
Construction Management and Economics,
40(9), 676-689.
Abstract:
Building energy retrofit-as-a-service: a Total Value of Ownership assessment methodology to support whole life-cycle building circularity and decarbonisation
The regulatory drive to accelerate the clean energy and circular economy transitions in the European building stock is currently failing to overcome systemic implementation barriers. These barriers include high initial investment costs, misaligned financial incentives among stakeholders, and the relatively low cost of less sustainable energy and materials. A Product-Service Systems (PSS) approach could successfully overcome many of these barriers by (1) outsourcing capital investment, as well as financial and technical risks, (2) providing shared economic incentives to collaborating stakeholders, and (3) retaining extended producer responsibility and ownership over materials and products. However, PSS is still not seen as a viable business model when compared to both a standard “ownership” contract and a “no-retrofit” scenario. This paper proposes a Total Value of Ownership (TVO) method to evaluate the financial performance of a building energy retrofit in terms of Net Present Value, comparing a matrix of scenarios. Results show that–when accounting for capital and opportunity costs tied to alternative investments, internalising externalities, and monetising soft values such as user productivity and property value–a PSS model can deliver the highest NPV. Furthermore, results show that a PSS alternative can act as a positive future-proofing strategy to safeguard the building owner’s position in the face of uncertain future market indicators and carbon taxation. Recommendations for policymakers, investors, financiers, building owners, and end-users are presented to identify the economic value of PSS contracts, leading to better-informed decisions which can accelerate deep energy retrofit of the building stock.
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Eales J, Bethel A, Galloway T, Hopkinson P, Morrissey K, Short RE, Garside R (2022). Human health impacts of exposure to phthalate plasticizers: an overview of reviews.
Environ Int,
158Abstract:
Human health impacts of exposure to phthalate plasticizers: an overview of reviews.
In this review of reviews, we overview the current global body of available evidence from structured reviews of epidemiological studies that explore human health outcomes associated with exposure to phthalates (chemical plasticisers commonly found in plastics). We found robust evidence for an association with lower semen quality, neurodevelopment and risk of childhood asthma, and moderate to robust evidence for impact on anogenital distance in boys. We identified moderate evidence for an association between phthalates/metabolites and low birthweight, endometriosis, decreased testosterone, ADHD, Type 2 diabetes and breast/uterine cancer. There was some evidence for other outcomes including anofourchette distance, fetal sex hormones, pre-term birth, lower antral follicle count, reduced oestrodiol, autism, obesity, thyroid function and hearing disorders. We found no reviews of epidemiological human studies on the impact of phthalates from recycled plastics on human health. We recommend that future research should use urine samples as exposure measures, consider confounders in analyses and measure impacts on female reproductive systems. Our findings align with emerging research indicating that health risks can occur at exposure levels below the "safe dose" levels set out by regulators, and are of particular concern given potential additive or synergistic "cocktail effects" of chemicals. This raises important policy and regulatory issues for identifying and controlling plastics and health related impacts and highlights a need for more research into substances of concern entering plastics waste streams via recycling.
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Chen H-M, Wang Y, Zhou K, Lam D, Guo W, Li L, Ajayebi A, Hopkinson P (2022). Reclaiming structural steels from the end of service life composite structures for reuse – an assessment of the viability of different methods.
Developments in the Built Environment,
10 DOI.
Hu X, Davies R, Morrissey K, Smith R, Fleming LE, Sharmina M, Clair R, Hopkinson P (2022). Single-use Plastic and COVID-19 in the NHS: Barriers and Opportunities.
Journal of Public Health Research,
11(1), jphr.2021.2483-jphr.2021.2483.
Abstract:
Single-use Plastic and COVID-19 in the NHS: Barriers and Opportunities
Background Single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) has been essential to protect healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, intensified use of PPE could counteract the previous efforts made by the UK NHS Trusts to reduce their plastic footprint. Design and methods in this study, we conducted an in-depth case study in the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust to investigate plastic-related issues in a typical NHS Trust before, during and after the pandemic. We first collected hospital routine data on both procurement and usage of single-use PPE (including face masks, aprons, and gowns) for the time period between April 2019 and August 2020. We then interviewed 12 hospital staff across a wide remit, from senior managers to consultants, nurses and catering staff, to gather qualitative evidence on the overall impact of COVID-19 on the Trust regarding plastic use. Results We found that although COVID-19 had increased the procurement and the use of single-use plastic substantially during the pandemic, it did not appear to have changed the focus of the hospital on implementing measures to reduce single-use plastic in the long term. We then discussed the barriers and opportunities to tackle plastic issues within the NHS in the post-COVID world, for example, a circular healthcare model. Conclusion Investment is needed in technologies and processes that can recycle and reuse a wider range of single-use plastics, and innovate sustainable alternatives to replace singleuse consumables used in the NHS to construct a fully operational closed material loop healthcare system.
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Nelms SE, Easman E, Anderson N, Berg M, Coates S, Crosby A, Eisfeld-Pierantonio S, Eyles L, Flux T, Gilford E, et al (2022). The role of citizen science in addressing plastic pollution: Challenges and opportunities.
Environmental Science and Policy,
128, 14-23.
Abstract:
The role of citizen science in addressing plastic pollution: Challenges and opportunities
Globally, the number of citizen science clean-up projects, such as beach cleans, is increasing in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the environment. Such activities offer the opportunity to gather insightful data on plastic abundance, distribution and composition. This information is key for informing effective management strategies aimed at reducing input but little work has been conducted to examine the challenges faced by existing citizen science projects, or the potential opportunities for maximising their impact. Here, we present the results of a questionnaire survey and follow-up workshop to explore the opinions of representatives from 20 organisations that deal with the issue of plastic pollution in the environment. Our results show that, of the organisations that conduct clean-up activities in the United Kingdom (UK), the majority collect data on plastic pollution to some extent. To ensure these data are scientifically meaningful and the necessary levels of public engagement are maintained, participants felt that survey protocols should be standardised across organisations and data submission should be as simple and easy as possible. The participants considered communication, inclusivity and volunteer diversity to be key for enhancing citizen engagement and improving data quality. Many organisations were unclear about how the information they hold can be most effectively used to help inform policies relating to managing plastic pollution. Moving forwards, there is a clear desire from clean-up organisations to collaborate with other sectors, such as commercial, policy, waste and recycling, education and technology stakeholders, as well as other non-governmental organisations and scientific researchers, to enhance the value and impact of citizen science in tackling the issue of plastic pollution.
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2021
Ajayebi A, Hopkinson P, Zhou K, Lam D, Chen HM, Wang Y (2021). Estimation of structural steel and concrete stocks and flows at urban scale–towards a prospective circular economy.
Resources, Conservation and Recycling,
174Abstract:
Estimation of structural steel and concrete stocks and flows at urban scale–towards a prospective circular economy
Quantification of stocks and flows of construction materials is a key first stage in assessing the potential for creating higher value at end-of-life decisions compared to destructive demolition. Steel and concrete are amongst the most widely used construction materials primarily in structural components. Such components are highly variable in design, type, and dimensions. In the absence of urban-scale digitised models of structural components or building plans, accurate assessment relies on either onsite inspection or modelling by material intensity (MI) co-efficient which can vary by up to a factor of 100. In this study, we extend previous stock modelling approaches through the development of a method that relies on building archetypes and produces MI coefficients of steel and concrete that are representative of frame types, temporally explicit and disaggregated at product level. This is compared to the common existent method of calculating MI to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed method. Coupled with a spatiotemporal model of urban buildings, the developed MI of both methods are applied to a case study in the UK. The total in-use stock of steel and concrete within multi-storey buildings is estimated at 81,000 tonnes and 655,000 m3 respectively. The stocks of steel and concrete are disaggregated based on their functions as products, for instance steel beams are distinguished from reinforcement steel. Subsequently, the embodied carbon of the in-use stock is calculated as 350 kt CO2eq. The results show the proposed method enables a more granular assessment of the embodied carbon of the structural material quantities.
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2020
Zhou K, Chen H-M, Wang Y, Lam D, Ajayebi A, Hopkinson P (2020). Developing advanced techniques to reclaim existing end of service life (EoSL) bricks – an assessment of reuse technical viability.
Developments in the Built Environment,
2, 100006-100006.
DOI.
Ajayebi A, Hopkinson P, Zhou K, Lam D, Chen HM, Wang Y (2020). Spatiotemporal model to quantify stocks of building structural products for a prospective circular economy.
Resources, Conservation and Recycling,
162Abstract:
Spatiotemporal model to quantify stocks of building structural products for a prospective circular economy
The building construction sector consumes significant quantities of resources, generates high levels of waste and creates many negative environmental impacts including carbon emissions. These problems are characteristic of linear value chains. In contrast, a circular economy approach to building construction has the potential to moderate these three problems. One way this can be achieved is to enable in-use building stocks as a repository of products for future reuse, sometimes referred to as urban mining. A key stage in such a shift is to be able to quantify stocks of construction materials and assess their direct reuse potential as products against criteria such as their location, age, type, and embodied carbon. The majority of studies of building stocks have focused on producing aggregated quantities of materials, regardless of the required information for assessing the potential value streams of future reuse. In this paper, a framework for spatiotemporal mapping of building structural products integrating external geometries and construction history is presented. To demonstrate its capacity, the stocks of clay bricks within the external walls of buildings are assessed where six types of buildings and four types of bricks are specified. Dimensions, weights, ages and embodied carbon of materials are estimated for case studies of three urban regions in Northern England: Manchester, Leeds and Bradford, and the results are spatially mapped for the city of Bradford. The paper provides the first systematic and comprehensive area-wide model to evaluate stocks of building structural products for future urban mining and circular economy of building construction systems.
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Hopkinson P, De Angelis R, Zils M (2020). Systemic building blocks for creating and capturing value from circular economy.
Resources Conservation and Recycling,
155 DOI.
2019
Hopkinson PG, Wang Y, Lam D, Ajayabi A, Zhou K, Chen H-M (2019). REBUILD: Regenerative Buildings and construction systems for a circular economy. SBE19 Brussels - BAMB-CIRCPATH "Buildings as Material Banks - a Pathway for a Circular Future". 4th Feb - 7th Mar 2019.
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REBUILD: Regenerative Buildings and construction systems for a circular economy
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Hopkinson P, Chen H-M, Zhou K, Wang Y, Lam D (2019). Recovery and reuse of structural products from end-of-life buildings.
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability,
172(3), 119-128.
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Recovery and reuse of structural products from end-of-life buildings
Buildings and construction have been identified as having the greatest potential for circular economy value creation. One source of value creation is to recover and reuse building products from end-of-service-life buildings, rather than destructive demolition and downcycling. While there is a trade in non-structural and heritage product recovery and reuse, the largest volume, mass and value of most buildings comprise structural elements – concrete, brick and masonry, and steel – which present many challenges. A comprehensive literature review confirms limited attention to innovation and advanced techniques to address these challenges and therefore the potential reuse of the stocks of accumulated building products globally and associated environmental benefits. Potential techniques being tested in an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council circular economy research programme are referenced as a key building block towards circular economy building system redesign.
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Howard MB, Hopkinson P, Miemczyk J (2019). The Regenerative Supply Chain: a Framework for Developing Circular Economy Indicators.
International Journal of Production Research,
57(23), 7300-7318.
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2018
Alexander AT, Hopkinson P, miller J, Miller M (2018). 21st century innovation: What is the name of the new game?. XIX ISPIM Conference. 17th - 21st Jun 2018.
Hopkinson PG (2018). Managing a Complex Global Circular Economy Business Model: Opportunities and Challenges.
California Management Review DOI.
Hopkinson PG, Mishra J, Tidridge G (2018). Value Creation from Circular Economy led Closed Loop Supply Chains: a Case Study of Fast Moving Consumer Goods.
Production Planning and Control,
29, 509-521.
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2015
Winter J, Cotton D, Hopkinson P, Grant V (2015). The university as a site for transformation around sustainability.
International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development,
9(3/4), 303-303.
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2013
Trowler P, Hopkinson P, Comerford Boyes L (2013). Institutional Change towards a Sustainability Agenda: How far can theory assist?.
Tertiary Education and Management,
19(3), 267-279.
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