Vancouver-based Mercer Mass Timber has launched a construction services division. The timber building materials manufacturer, which is a subsidiary of wood pulp producer Mercer International, will offer both onsite installation and consultancy services for clients who want guidance and strategic support, per the release. Brian Merwin, senior VP at Mercer Mass Timber, told Construction Dive that the firm doesn’t see itself competing with other installers. Rather, Merwin said that the new division would work with clients who are building with mass timber for the first or the second time. Merwin said that the new division would provide a “turnkey” solution for its clients and that it represented a new offering for customers. It also doesn’t represent a strategy shift for the company toward construction and installation. “Our core business is still supplying mass timber materials for installation,” Merwin said.
A new report published last month by the 
The population of urban areas worldwide is projected to increase by more than 2 billion in the next thirty years. Many of these individuals will require new housing. However, constructing homes using traditional materials would result in a significant release of carbon dioxide. Research conducted by the United Nations indicates that concrete, steel, glass, and bricks, commonly used in construction, contribute to approximately 9% of global CO2 emissions. …Mass timber has emerged as an apparent solution, leading to a notable trend in architectural practices. …According to Stephanie Carlisle, a senior researcher at the University of Washington’s Carbon Leadership Forum, both corporate clients and designers are apprehensive about overstating the climate benefits of mass timber. They are seeking robust systems to support their claims. Carlisle contributed to developing tallyLCA, a software tool managed by the nonprofit organisation Building Transparency, which estimates the environmental impact of building designs.
Recycling is supposed to reduce the need to produce more of the product or material that’s being recycled. Recycling paper should mean we cut down fewer trees. …When it works properly, recycling reduces waste and the need to extract more natural resources. But when we drop some things off to be “recycled,” there’s no guarantee that we’re actually cutting back on the total amount of waste produced. That’s especially true for some forms of plastic. If you shop online, you’re familiar with receiving some of your items in a flimsy plastic envelope. Some of that plastic packaging says it is recyclable. But how much of Amazon’s plastic packaging is actually getting recycled? The true answer is a lot less than you might think. U.S. PIRG Education Fund researchers tracked Amazon plastic packaging to see where it ended up after being delivered to one of the drop-off locations directed to by the label. 
WASHINGTON — A mere 9% of plastic is recycled in the United States each year. Plastic waste in our country grows unabated because the U.S. operates a patchwork of largely ineffective recycling systems that don’t create enough incentives for consumers and businesses to reduce their plastic footprint. …Lawmakers should shift the financial responsibility of collecting, recycling and reusing plastic packaging materials from consumers and municipalities to the producers of plastic products by establishing a national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy. Under an EPR framework, companies would cover the costs of recycling their materials and face penalties for using packaging that’s difficult to recycle or for not including recycled materials in their packaging. As a result, recycled materials would become more readily available and economical over time. EPR policies have already been adopted in multiple states, including Colorado and California. …Members of Congress should take these practical steps now.
…bioplastics are proliferating across the food industry … electronics, clothing, building supplies and more. Bioplastics are defined as plastic materials that are either partly or wholly derived from renewable biomass like plants or are biodegradable or are both. The industry is projected to grow from $8.7 billion in 2023 to $31 billion by 2030 – a growth rate faster than the traditional plastics industry. Though bioplastics comprise just 1% of the plastics market, some tout them as plastics’ more sustainable future. … “Bioplastics are driving the evolution of plastics,” the European Bioplastics Association claims, citing “carbon neutrality” and biodegradability (in some cases) as bioplastics’ advantages over their conventional counterparts. But bioplastics haven’t fully lived up to the hype of faster decomposition rates, safer materials and smaller carbon footprints. Still, experts say the material could be among a suite of solutions if end-of-life management and chemical safety were factored into their design, alongside stronger greenwashing regulations.
Not exactly known for environmentalism, Staten Island will become a showcase of mass timber construction — if city officials can persuade a developer to try it. The city issued an RFP Thursday for someone to build 500 apartments using wood. Two 50-foot-tall buildings would go on city-owned land along the Stapleton waterfront on the North Shore, about a mile from the Staten Island ferry terminal. “This is the biggest opportunity to use mass timber at scale in the city,” said Melissa Román Burch, chief operating officer of the city’s Economic Development Corporation, which put out the request for proposals. Up for grabs are 99-year ground leases on two parcels just south of the Urby, a 571-unit residential project developed by Ironstate at 7 Navy Pier Court, where tenants can watch boats come and go from the Homeport pier that juts into the New York Bight.
