Digital platforms for bulk goods

Construction sites require an enormous amount of resources. At the same time, large quantities of demolition material are produced when old buildings are dismantled. Coordinating the material flows is time-consuming and complex. Platform economy makes handling easier: old and new bulk materials are traded efficiently and easily via online marketplaces.

Written by Marius Schaub

Concrete mixer truck on a construction site — Construction companies can use platforms to trade both new resources and demolition material.

You’re hungry and the fridge is empty – who wants to check one restaurant after the other for offers and delivery times? Instead, thanks to the online portals of food delivery services, the delivery times of hundreds of restaurants can now be displayed at a glance. Platform economy makes it possible: the delivery service acts as an intermediary between the customer and the restaurant. This saves time and money, increases the available range and boosts flexibility.

What has been standard in B2C business for years is also gaining momentum in the B2B environment. This has been evident on construction sites, for example – at least since 2019, when Schüttflix was founded. Anyone familiar with the business model of delivery services such as Doordash will also understand the concept of the digital platform for construction site logistics: suppliers and customers are brought together online. However, instead of pizza and burgers, soil and construction waste are transported.

The figures speak for the success of the principle: according to the company, over 12 million tons of material have been transported via the platform in more than 450,000 shipments to date. And unlike Sushi & Co., there are no empty runs on the return journey with the building materials platform. This is because the online portal is not only used to trade building materials, but also to organize the removal and disposal of demolition materials.

Handling excavator and truck on a construction site — The logistics of bulk materials for construction sites is complex. Online platforms for trade make handling easier.

Construction sites generate the most waste

This additional logistics service is popular with customers for several reasons. Firstly, landfill space for bulk material from demolition is becoming increasingly scarce. After all, this waste stream is the most important waste group in terms of volume. Construction companies can rarely rely on a single disposal company to accept all waste. Secondly, the recycling and disposal of construction waste is strictly regulated. This is important because so many different types of waste are produced on construction sites: From mineral materials and metals to wood and plastic insulation material, it’s all there.

If customers use a platform to find the right waste disposal company, they can always proceed in the same way: Regardless of the demolition material, a request is posted to which suitable disposal companies respond. This simplifies the processes and ensures that everything is always recycled properly.

Mineral Minds also relies on the recipe of the platform economy for building materials, but with a stronger focus on the principle of “Everything as a Service”: in this case, material flow as a service means that in-house material flows can be planned, coordinated and optimized within the company. Like Schüttflix, the platform brings together suppliers and buyers of building materials as well as sources of demolition material and excavated soil with recyclers and landfills. In addition, the platform advertises the simple creation of transparent CO₂ and waste balances and the uncomplicated fulfillment of requirements resulting from legal requirements regarding substitute building materials. This includes sampling, for example, which ensures that old building materials do not contain any toxic components. Boden & Bauschutt, another platform for trading old and new building materials, promises to digitize this. Like Schüttflix and Mineral Minds, the online service combines digital material flow management with a marketplace that brings producers and disposal companies together.

Construction site employees with material documents — Documentation of demolition material is important for recycling and proper disposal.

Cyrkl also sees itself as a marketplace for material flows. However, the platform is not only used to broker mineral bulk materials, but also recycled plastic pellets and films, glass and textiles, metals and even electronic waste. The provider aims to optimize waste management holistically and thus ultimately promote the principle of the circular economy.

Today, even small construction projects can benefit from the targeted marketing of residual materials from demolition and dismantling. DIY fans can find materials such as waste wood boards, bricks and retro tiles for their next construction project on Restato. The platform cooperates with Concular, another provider of materials from demolition. Unlike Schüttflix and Mineral Minds, however, it sells entire components: In addition to furniture and lights, users can find used, affordable doors and windows, radiators, letterbox systems or even partition wall systems and suspended ceilings on the portal.

Recycling and reusing instead of disposing – this principle unites all platforms for bulk materials and other residual materials from the construction industry. To ensure that as much material as possible can be recycled, a careful inventory is required on the construction site. Madaster was founded to simplify and systematize this process. The platform for inventory analysis and systematic reuse of old building materials sees itself as a register for materials and products: As early as the planning and construction stages, users can register all components that have been used in a building. This creates a dynamic “building resource passport” that helps to keep track of which resources can still be used and how from the outset during conversion and demolition.

A long way to the circular economy

7 percent of all raw materials used worldwide consist of recycled material – that’s not much. And in many countries, the figures have been stagnating for decades. So there is still a long way to go before we have a truly circular economy in which residual materials are no longer seen as waste but as a resource. Platforms for bulk materials in the construction sector can help to get there faster. The development of online marketplaces such as Schüttflix, Mineral Minds & Co. shows that the platform economy for construction and demolition has a future: the networks are growing, in some cases even beyond national borders.

Author

Marius Schaub