Why Product Longevity Matters for Sustainable Australian Buildings

Sustainability in building design is often associated with recycled materials, renewable resources and energy efficiency. 

Those factors matter, but there is another question worth asking before a product is specified. How long is it likely to remain useful? 

A building can be designed with excellent environmental credentials and still create unnecessary waste if its products have short working lives. Think about what happens when a fitting wears out sooner than expected. The old product has to come out, a new one has to be sourced and transported, and someone has to install it. The process may be small, but it is still another use of materials, labour and resources.

That is one reason durability has become relevant to the way Australia is thinking about resource use. The Australian Government’s Circular Economy Framework sets an ambition to double Australia’s circularity by 2035, including through better design, repair, refurbishment and reuse. The built environment is one of the four sectors identified as a priority for this transition.

In this post, we will look at why product longevity deserves a place in sustainable building decisions, using architectural door hardware as one straightforward example.

Why Does Product Longevity Support Sustainability?

Every building product has an environmental footprint before it reaches the site. YourHome describes embodied energy as the energy involved in producing materials and products, including mining, manufacturing and transport. It also points out that materials used during later repairs and renovations contribute to a building’s recurrent embodied energy.

That makes service life an important consideration. If a product lasts longer, there may be less need to manufacture, transport and install a replacement during the same period.

Longer-lasting products can help reduce:

• Demand for additional raw materials
• Manufacturing of replacement products
• Packaging associated with new purchases
• Transport to the project site
• Labour involved in repeated installation
• Waste created during renovation or replacement

This matters at a national level as well. YourHome reports that construction and demolition accounted for about 44% of Australia’s total waste, or around 27 million tonnes a year, based on 2018–19 data.

How Should Building Products Be Selected For Australian Conditions?

Durability depends heavily on where and how a product is used. There is no single material that is automatically the most sustainable or durable in every Australian setting.

Climate And Exposure

• Coastal salt exposure
• High humidity
• Rain and moisture
• Strong UV exposure

Building Use

• Residential traffic
• Commercial traffic
• Hospitality environments
• Frequently operated doors

Material And Finish

• Stainless steel
• Brass
• Bronze
• Aluminium
• Timber

The right choice depends on the product design, finish, installation, exposure and expected use. YourHome similarly recommends considering the intended purpose, climate and broader lifecycle effects when selecting materials rather than judging them on one characteristic alone.

What Should You Consider Across The Product Lifecycle?

A sustainability decision should consider more than the main material listed on a specification.

YourHome recommends considering the initial and ongoing embodied energy of a building, while also looking at whether materials can be reused or recycled and whether the building has been designed for a long service life.

The same thinking applies to locally made products. Shorter transport distances can be useful, but they do not tell you everything about a product's environmental impact. How it was made, how long it is expected to last and what happens at the end of its useful life still matter. 

What Should You Ask Before Specifying A Product?

Longevity is much easier to assess when you ask a few straightforward questions before the product is ordered.

• Will it cope with the climate and conditions where it will be installed?
• Is its expected service life appropriate for the building?
• What sort of maintenance will it need?
• If something wears out, can that part be replaced?
• Can you obtain spare parts in the future?
• Will the finish continue to suit the environment and level of use?
• Do you know where the main materials came from?
• Could the product be reused elsewhere if the building is renovated?
• Is there a realistic recycling or disposal option at the end of its life?
• Do the warranty terms tell you what is actually covered?

These questions do not require you to become an environmental specialist. They simply encourage you to think beyond the purchase date.

For a homeowner, that can mean choosing a fitting that can be maintained rather than discarded after a minor failure. For an architect or builder working on a larger project, it can mean considering how dozens or hundreds of individual products will perform over many years.

That is where product longevity becomes part of sustainable design. The aim is not to find a product that can make the biggest environmental promise. It is to choose something that makes sense for its setting, can be looked after properly and has a useful life that matches the building around it.

For project-specific architectural hardware requirements, Push or Pull provides a range of door handle options for Australian residential and commercial applications.

FAQs

Can Repair And Maintenance Extend Product Life?

It can. Maintenance will not make an unsuitable product suitable for its environment, but proper care can help preserve a product's condition and performance.

This is particularly worth considering with designer door handles because these fittings are handled repeatedly. Before choosing a product, check what maintenance it requires and whether replacement screws, fixings or other individual components can be obtained if something eventually wears out.

Are Reclaimed Materials More Sustainable?

Not necessarily. Reclaimed materials can be a valuable way of keeping existing resources in use, but there is more to the decision than whether something has been used before.

With reclaimed timber, for example, you may need to know where it came from, what it was previously used for, whether it has been treated and whether its current condition makes it suitable for the new project. Transport and preparation can also form part of the overall environmental impact.

How Can You Check If Timber Is Responsibly Sourced?

Certification can provide useful information about timber sourcing. FSC and PEFC are recognised certification systems, while Responsible Wood operates an Australian scheme endorsed by PEFC and uses chain-of-custody certification to track forest products through the supply chain.