During their many years of use, zinc building products do not rot, rust, or need repainting. No paint, varnish, or sealants are necessary. Architectural zinc products require very little maintenance, repair, or replacement, which further lowers their associated economic and environmental costs. At the end of its long life of use on a property, one can also recycle the zinc material.
Zinc is 100 percent recyclable, without degradation to its performance properties. Sixty percent of all zinc produced is still in use and 45 percent of all zinc produced is recycled. Zinc in building and infrastructure represents the largest stock by far with high product-specific recycling rates. Globally, 95 percent of rolled zinc sheet is recycled.17
The sustainable attributes and applications of architectural zinc products support criteria for several green building programs including Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification, the Green Globes system, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s certification system.
Products that have earned Cradle to Cradle certification demonstrate: no release of any toxic substances during usage, deconstruction, and recycling; retainage of original properties without loss of performance; and re-useability as a new item of at least equal value.18
Global and industry support for climate resilient materials and construction
Climate change is a worldwide issue and actions to limit its effects are global undertakings. At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, world leaders signed an international legally binding treaty, now known as the Paris Agreement. Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 C (3.6 F) above pre-industrial levels” and to pursue efforts limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 C (2.7 F).19
In 2019, the UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report research indicated that efforts were not on track to achieve the 1.5 C (2.7 F) goal. The report called for GHG emissions to drop 7.5 percent per year through 2030. In recent years, new data have stressed the need for faster and deeper emission cuts to meet the 1.5 C (2.7 F) goal and to avoid severe climate change impacts.19
