ASEA SEC 05


EXTENDED TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE BASED EVALUATION OF REVERSE LOGISTICS OPTIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION WASTE MATERIAL

RANA RABNAWAZ AHMED, XUEQING ZHANG


Abstract

The construction sector not only plays a significant role in the economic development of a country but also generates considerable construction waste. Treatment of such waste is essential to avoid loss of potentially recoverable material, minimize environmental pollution, reduce monetary losses, and other related hazards. Reverse logistics concept gains popularity due to its material recovery aspect, therefore considered a waste treatment option. However, the selection of the most appropriate treatment strategy requires a critical analysis of various factors. In the past, firstly, technical and economic factors were considered mainly before selecting a treatment method, with limited to no consideration given to environmental, social, and political factors, especially in low and middle-income countries. Secondly, the selection of such treatment methods was mostly based on qualitative assessments. To overcome these issues, at first, this study extends the concept of Triple Bottom Line (TBL) by adding two more lines of technical and political aspects and called it as extended TBL (ETBL). Secondly, a quantitative ETBL scoring method is proposed based on a probability- impact approach to help decision-makers select an appropriate reverse logistics option for construction waste material. A list of bottom-line factors was extracted from the comparison of existing practices among different countries. Lastly, suggestions to Hong Kong stakeholders were provided as per ETBL assessment, which will help future decision-making.

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