The construction industry is shifting from a traditional design-first approach to one where material selection is prioritised from the outset. 

This change, driven by the need for sustainability, allows for significant reductions in a project's environmental impact. 

With the industry consuming 3 billion tons of raw materials annually, early material evaluation is crucial, potentially reducing embodied carbon by up to 75%. Digital material libraries and data-driven tools, such as Revalu's platform, facilitate this transition by integrating environmental data and promoting new materials. 

This evolving approach emphasises transparency, balancing cost, performance, and sustainability, and is likely to drive innovations in material selection and local sourcing in the future.