‘Sustainable Protection’ through innovative, sustainable protection materials
date: 04/03/2024
The need to look for alternative protection materials
Sustainability is concerned with protecting the planet, halting climate change while covering present needs without compromising resources for future generations. Sustainable building and protection materials include certain types of wood, stone, etc. These materials are renewable and eco-friendly. They can be easily grown or harvested without a significant environmental impact. Studies show that a net reduction of CO2 emission can e.g. be obtained by increasing the proportion of wood-based building materials, relative to concrete materials.
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The bigger picture - European Green Deal, New European Bauhaus and the Urban Agenda for the EU The European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, launched the New European Bauhaus initiative in September 2020. It is an emerging interdisciplinary creative movement. It aims to establish a link between the European Green Deal and our living spaces. The European Green Deal is the centrepiece of the European approach to sustainability. It combines climate, environmental and biodiversity protection with social justice and economic growth. The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal, and is a legally binding target thanks to the European Climate Law. In addition, one of the partnerships established by the Urban Agenda for the EU focused its work on the priority theme of ‘security in public spaces’ as part of a potential set of actions contributing to improving the quality of life in urban areas. Therefore, we should combine the protection of public spaces with climate, environmental and biodiversity protection. This can be achieved by implementing e.g. blue-green barriers and barriers that are made of sustainable materials and that are operated using sustainable energy sources. |
What do we focus on?
Our aim is to provide solutions with an equivalent or similar protection level as with traditional materials (such as steel and concrete), using innovative, sustainable protection materials. While we understand that this is a challenge, credible options exist.
Future JRC research will focus on such solutions in more detail. A material that we are considering in this context is Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), both with regard to ballistic and blast protection. In any case, we are open for new ideas on this subject.
Where can you already find some ideas on this subject?
We highlighted some solutions in our publication Security by Design: Protection of Public Spaces from terrorist attacks. It showcases for example the use of trees, hedges and water installations to partially reduce and disperse blast-related energy. It also illustrates the use of natural stone in hostile vehicle mitigation.
Tell us about your thoughts
Are you interested in this subject? Get in touch and share your thoughts through our functional mailbox: jrc-public-spaces@ec.europa.eu