Sustainability and cost are sometimes treated as competing priorities, but they do not have to be.
The cost of an aggregate is influenced by more than its price per tonne.
Location, availability, transportation, specification and the quantity required all effect final value.
That means recycled aggregates can make commercial sense in the right application, particularly where suitable material is available locally and transportation distances can be reduced.
There is another consideration too. The physical characteristics of an aggregate can affect how much material is required to achieve the intended outcome.
So the right question for procurement teams is not simply “What is the lowest price per tonne?” it’s “What delivers the best overall value for this application?”
The benefit for your project
Taking a whole-project view of aggregate procurement can help you:
- Identify opportunities for material cost optimisation
- Consider transport alongside material price
- Avoid selecting materials on unit price alone
- Align commercial decisions with sustainability objectives
Better material decisions are not necessarily about spending more.
They are about understanding the value of the material across the project.
