Turkey's problem with stolen manhole covers may seem an unlikely starting point for a new way to protect buildings against earthquakes and solve environmental problems in the construction industry, but when a Turkish businessman heard about a new material that could prevent theft, an idea was sparked.

Cast iron is traditionally used to make manhole covers that protect drainage systems. But back in 2010, a series of thefts of scrap metal lids in Turkey meant they needed to be protected using alternatives with equally strong materials. When Engin Yesil read about this super-strong composite material in a news report, he wondered whether it could be used to build buildings that could withstand earthquakes—a significant risk in Turkey.

Yesil started making the composite, called Renco (short for "renewable composite"), which consists of up to 40% recycled materials, including resin and fiberglass. Since 2011, more than 200 buildings in Turkey have been built using Renco bricks, which fit together like Lego bricks and are secured with glue.

Yesil wondered if Renco had potential in the United States, and after more than a decade of research and testing, Renco built an apartment complex in Palm Springs in 2023.

In addition to being able to withstand catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes (the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, and increasingly severe hurricanes due to climate change), Renco also claims to be more environmentally friendly than other building materials. According to a 2023 United Nations report, the construction industry is "by far" the largest emitter of greenhouse gases of any industry, accounting for 37% of global emissions.

Renco is about 80% lighter than concrete, which means more concrete can be transported per truck, and it also contains 82% less carbon than structural steel, according to a report commissioned by Renco and released by the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute. Embodied carbon refers to the emissions released during the manufacturing, transportation and disposal of building materials.

Renco is also 100% recyclable, said Patrick Murphy, managing director of Renco USA. The new composites mark a sea change in construction materials, he said. "In construction, there are basically three methods of construction, right? There's concrete, steel and wood, and it's basically been the same for 100 years... so this is actually the fourth approved method of construction," he told CNBC ."video call.

This year, Renco will begin production in the United States for the first time, with a Florida factory opening in the coming weeks capable of producing enough bricks to build about 9,000 average apartments.

Like other materials used in construction, Renco is not without environmental impact, with blocks shipped from Türkiye to the U.S. when the current Florida facility is completed. And, while Renco's Turkish manufacturing plant is powered by renewable energy, about 12% of Florida's electricity comes from nuclear power plants.

Renco isn't the only company working to become more sustainable. On the other side of the Atlantic, a British company is designing buildings using a well-known material: wood. Architecture firm Waugh Thistleton designed the first building made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in 2001 and has since built around 30 buildings in the UK, Europe and the US. Must come from forests managed in a way that meets a number of internationally agreed standards.

A 2024 University of Arkansas study showed that using wood instead of steel or concrete to build buildings could reduce emissions by 19%, while a 2023 United Nations report urged the construction industry to shift to bio-based building materials, such as sustainably sourced Timber and bricks to decarbonize the built environment.

"The idea that we can build with replenishable materials is becoming more and more important to us," said Andrew Waugh, founder and director of Waugh Thistleton. "Then the more you do it, the more you realize It's good for health and well-being, people are actually happier and healthier being surrounded by natural materials than they are by polystyrene ceiling tiles and... drywall (wallboard)," Waugh told  via video call. CNBC.

But the UK has been slow to adopt timber as a building material, which left Waugh "frustrated". According to a 2022 government report, around 60% of the waste generated in the UK comes from the construction industry, and Waugh noted Timber construction produces very little on-site waste. Likewise, there are environmental concerns with building with wood: the wood used in Waugh Thistleton projects is often shipped from Europe.

Another phenomenon caused by climate change is rising sea levels, which are accompanied by sinking land.

In the independent coastal nation of Monaco, known as the rich man's playground because of its low taxes, a new "eco-community" called Mareterra has sustainability at its core. "With climate change, water-based architecture will become a strategic approach in certain coastal areas," Guy-Thomas Levy Soussan, managing director of development at Mareterra, said in an email to CNBC. Levy Soussan added that the development aims to be a A “model” for how coastal cities can develop responsibly.

A technique known as the "caisson" method was used during construction, with the 27-meter-high reinforced concrete structure built in the French city of Marseille and then floated to Monaco so as not to disturb marine life. In addition to acting as flood barriers, they also serve as habitat for marine life, Levy Soussan said.

A so-called "eco-reef village" has also been built. They consist of more than 300 modules and are installed in the sea area where the development is located. Ecological "corridors" mean fish can reach the village, while protected seagrass species known as posidonia are relocated to provide the ecosystem. Levy Soussan said the ecological measures will be monitored for at least ten years and the Monaco government will use the insights to guide future maritime projects.

Both Waugh and Murphy expect the construction industry to move toward more sustainable materials.

"It's inevitable because, you know, the better other industries do at reducing their carbon burden, then exposed buildings are going to be the outliers," Waugh said.

The founder of Waugh Thistleton added that regulation could be the force the construction industry needs to become more sustainable.

The UK Green Building Council has called on the UK government to further meet environmental targets for new homes, while in Singapore the government has added proposals to include older buildings in its mandatory energy improvement regime. Previously, it focused on new construction or buildings undergoing extensive renovations.

Murphy said the industry "must" reduce emissions. "This industry flies under the radar in a lot of senses, right? People talk about airplanes and cars and cows and, you know, a lot of other... emissions. A lot of people don't realize how bad cement is and there's no awareness to how bad the quality of the cement is.”

Embodied carbon has been a focus of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and construction company Skanska USA has developed a tool called EC3 to help construction projects quantify their emissions.

Steve Clem, senior vice president of project planning and sustainability at Skanska USA Building, said the tool encourages some suppliers to reduce embodied carbon.

When Skanska evaluated concrete companies for a large project in Seattle, it used EC3 to show each company how their materials performed in terms of embodied carbon. "When different vendors see how their product portfolios compete against each other, they will voluntarily take steps to improve their product portfolios at no cost to consumers," Clem told CNBC via email.

The vice president is optimistic about the future. “The construction industry is doing more towards sustainability now than at any time in history, or at least since the industrial revolution… My hope for the future is that sustainable construction becomes the norm and more people The opportunity to live, work and play in a carbon-free building,” Klem said.