Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Sustainability, and the Circular Economy: Stainless Steel as a Material for Future-Ready Infrastructure

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-964-3_17How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Life Cycle Costing; Stainless steel; Sustainability; Corrosion Resistance

Abstract

In terms of infrastructure development, the twenty-first century offers previously unheard-of opportunities and challenges. The materials used to build the built environment must be assessed for their long-term resilience, sustainability, and economic efficiency in addition to their initial affordability in light of the rapid urbanization, climate change, and resource scarcity. The hidden costs of upkeep, replacements, and environmental externalities are frequently overlooked by traditional procurement methods, which are primarily concerned with initial costs. An innovative approach that can greatly increase the longevity, security, and life-cycle cost effectiveness of both public and private projects is the mainstreaming of stainless steel in Indian infrastructure. In addition to showing how stainless steel is consistent with sustainability and the circular economy, this paper explores the importance of Life Cycle Costing (LCC) in infrastructure planning. The articles were taken from scientific reports, peer-reviewed research articles, and case studies that were validated by the industry. Based on case studies from India and other countries, such as Singapore’s NEWater initiative, Changi Airport, Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and Delhi Metro, the study demonstrates that stainless steel is a better option than conventional materials because of its longevity, recyclability, corrosion resistance, and low maintenance requirements. In order to mainstream stainless steel in Indian infrastructure, the paper ends by recommending policy changes, industry-academia collaboration, and capacity-building initiatives. The main idea of the argument is that the true cost is determined by what is saved and maintained over many generations rather than by the amount paid up front.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Rajamani Krishnamurti
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Sustainability, and the Circular Economy: Stainless Steel as a Material for Future-Ready Infrastructure
BT  - Proceedings of the Conference Series on Sustainable Architecture Circular Economy (SACE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 338
EP  - 350
SN  - 3005-155X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-964-3_17
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-964-3_17
ID  - Krishnamurti2025
ER  -