Perspectives on Sustainable Practice and Materials in the Japanese Concrete Industry

This research examined the perspectives held by members of the Japanese concrete industry on sustainable practice and materials through a two-part investigation consisting of interviews with industry experts and a broader survey of industry members. The investigation sought to evaluate the level of sustainable knowledge, develop a conceptual model for sustainable practice, establish evaluation criteria for sustainable concrete materials, and identify barriers for implementing said practices and materials while considering the differences in perspectives among different industry groups. The results show that the Japanese industry is focused on reducing environmental impact through extending infrastructure service life by enhancing durability and considering life-cycle cost and CO ₂; this can be related to the Japanese socioeconomic conditions of an aging population with a decreasing workforce and a decreasing investment in construction. When examining the variation among industry stakeholder groups, little difference could be seen in their general concept for sustainable concrete practice and materials, but a larger difference could be identified in the barriers to each group for achieving those goals.