ReBlock-Recycle Building Material on Blockchain
Introduction:
UN’s sustainability goals are for every country and every citizen. Apart from the UN’s mission to control GHG emissions it also promotes sustainable practices for the better tomorrow. The top-down approach is in progress and simultaneously need of bottom -up approach. When the term sustainability was coined in the United Nations’ Brundtland Commission of 1987, the underlying goal was to ensure that the earth’s resources are used without compromising the ability of future generations to cater for their needs.
Recycling became a major part of managing the waste produced by the ever-growing population and its demands for food, clean water, consumer products and housing, in a more sustainable way.AS per EPA(US)records building industry generates waste and almost 90% of it is recyclable. With such huge potential it becomes imperative to recycle and reuse this material.
How can Communities and Individuals contribute to sustainability goals?
Communities, companies and organizations work need to come together on a platform with the common mission of reusing and recycling of building materials. A common platform which connects them to physical and virtual resource library, open possibilities to engage with he experts and skilled craftsman in the field .The platform allows them to interact and utilize resource with one another with the help of platform.
so what is this platform?
“Blockchain”
Why Blockchain?
Blockchain has following characteristics which are the essential part of recycling material
Allows open Market Creation
Disruptive strategy eliminates intermediaries
Timestamps offers traceability, ledger of transfers enabling sustainability metrics to the users
Decentralized governance provides say in the system
Transparency through smart contracts
Who will run the DAO?
The DAO consisting of experts from various fields could initiate it and put together resources to create a platform for communities, companies and individuals to engage.The potential users of the platform are from retail, policy, deconstruction and salvage operators, historic conservationists, social justice, workforce development dedicated to reuse recyclable building materials.
What are the challenges?
Building material being the physical entity and needs movement from one place to another ,there is limitation in using this platform. The farther the resource material the more the more transport and the more the GHG emissions. The limit to resource procurement and utilization is the key in achieving sustainability. Hence the platform will be operational limited to cities, suburbs and immediate connected districts.
How it works?
It will be a DAO which will allow all the users to participate and contribute on the platform.Individuals,Companies and communities can directly engage in exchanging materials and services in a secure ,transparent and at lower costs.
How will platform interact with users?
Sellers and service providers can login on the portal and upload product information in the prescribed format and will become member of the DAO. The buyers can login on the portal and get access to the material library, innovation catalogues, latest material informations,service providers. Amongst which they can choose to material and service and execute transactions. Each user on the portal will be rated as per their performance on the platform. The blockchain algorithm automatically manages and generates the ratings for the users as per their trustworthiness and material genuinity.
How will smart contracts safeguard buyers and sellers?
Sellers and buyers can directly transact on the platform and execute smart contract. The smart contract facility enables to safeguard interests of buyers and seller both and maintains transparency in the transaction. In case of default it is noted by the system and recorded for future transactions with buyers and sellers.
Technical Aspects of using Blockchain:
We used metamask accounts to create wallets through Rinkeby. These wallets were linked to Aragon on mainnet to create an organization. The organization created is an Open Enterprise.
ReBlock-Recycle Building Materials is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the Master in City & Technology 2020/21 by students: Kshama Patil, Mario Gonzalez and faculty: Maria-Luisa Marsal Llacuna.