Geosynthetics April/May 2022 - 22

Geosynthetics and sustainability: How is our industry doing?
applications, is a good first step. There
are many places in the geosynthetic
world where recycled feed streams can
and are making contributions today in
noncritical applications. As the quality
of recycled feed streams improves, their
use can be expanded.
A final example of this is the operGeosynthetics
are
superb materials
and make real and
significant contributions
to sustainability-but
we need to improve the
areas where our industry
is underperforming
and address our
weaknesses rather than
pat ourselves on the
back for what we have
accomplished to date.
ation of Aero Aggregates of North
America LLC, led by Archie Filshill, a
longtime geosynthetics industry participant
(and co-author of " Using
Ultralightweight Foamed Glass Aggregate
as MSE Wall Backfill " on page 33). This
company, headquartered in Eddystone,
Pa., uses recycled glass to manufacture
a low-density fill material that is used
to replace stone in civil construction.
This low-density product is 85% lighter
than traditional aggregates and is made
in North America from 100% recycled
container glass. Each AeroAggregates
location diverts the equivalent of more
than 140 million glass bottles per year
from landfills and supplies a low-weight
fill material that is essential for some
roadway and civil engineering projects.
I would be remiss if I did not mention
explicitly the positive sustainability attributes
of geosynthetic materials. The IGS,
the Geosynthetic Materials Association
(GMA), the European Association of
Geosynthetic product Manufacturers
(EAGM), the Geosynthetic Institute
(GSI) and many other organizations
have documented and present positive
appraisals of the sustainable and environmental
attributions of geosynthetic
materials. Richard Bathurst at the Royal
Military College of Canada, Neil Dixon
at Loughborough University in the U.K.,
Holger Wallbaum of Chalmers University
of Technology in Sweden, Matthias Stucki
of the Zürich University of Applied
Sciences in Switzerland, George Koerner
at GSI and many of their respective colleagues
have published papers and articles
contributing to these evaluations.
22
Geosynthetics | April May 2022
Geosynthetics are superb materials and
make real and significant contributions
to sustainability-but we need to improve
the areas where our industry is underperforming
and address our weaknesses
rather than pat ourselves on the back for
what we have accomplished to date.
The sustainability survey conducted
by the IGS in 2021 and reported on by
IGS executive director John Kraus reflects
some serious deficiencies. Most companies
in our industry do not publish
environmental and sustainability policy
statements-the first step in committing
to improve. Metrics are also significantly
lacking. " If you can't measure it, you can't
manage it, " is attributed to Peter Drucker,
Lord Kelvin or W. Edwards Deming but,
regardless, its meaning is certainly clear:
Measurement and attention help to get
problems solved and progress made
(Figure 7).
I challenge the geosynthetics industry
to follow the recommendation of
Chungsik Yoo (2022), president of the
IGS, and rapidly adopt environmental
and sustainability policy statements, post
those publicly and also to communicate
performance toward the goals using the
metrics each company has chosen.
I challenge each individual who reads
this to adopt a more sustainable life:
Change and reduce what you buy and
consume, minimize waste, recycle everything
you can, and educate and involve
others in this effort.
The webinar with commentary from
geosynthetics industry leaders reported
here occurred in January 2021. By the
time of publication of this article, in the
April/May 2022 issue of Geosynthetics,
more than a year will have passed. Greta
Thunberg (PBS News Hour 2019) is correct
in that humankind is moving too
slowly-certainly not reflecting the magnitude
and importance of our sustainability
problem. The geosynthetics industry
does well, but we need to do more.
Geosynthetics April/May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Geosynthetics April/May 2022
