28/09/2026
SCORE-MED: Innovation and Sustainability of Construction Materials in the Mediterranean
Circular Srl was the lead partner of the SCORE-MED project (Sustainability methodologies and development of innovative composite materials for energy saving in buildings in the Mediterranean climate), a research and innovation initiative aimed at developing innovative construction materials and digital tools for integrated sustainability assessment.
The project was carried out within the framework of the Extended Partnership PE2-NEST – Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition, Project Code PE00000021 – SPOKE 8 – CUP B53C22004070006, funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3.
SCORE-MED was funded through a Cascade Funding Call issued by Sapienza University of Rome, as the leader of Spoke 8, dedicated to final energy use optimization, sustainability, and resilience in the energy supply chain.
Who Participated in the Project?
The partnership, coordinated by Circular Srl, brought together complementary scientific, technological, and industrial expertise:
- Circular Srl, as project lead partner, coordinated the scientific activities and developed the methodological framework for assessing the sustainability of construction materials, as well as a digital platform supporting ecodesign.
- University of Messina (UNIME) contributed to the physical, mechanical, and thermal characterization of innovative materials and to modelling their energy performance in buildings.
- Tradimalt S.p.A., an industrial partner specializing in construction materials, was responsible for developing, formulating, and testing innovative geopolymer-based mortars.
The project's scientific coordination was led by Prof. Marzia Traverso, who oversaw the research activities and the integration of expertise among the different partners.
SCORE-MED Objectives
The project aimed to contribute to the decarbonization and energy efficiency of the construction sector, with particular attention to Mediterranean climatic conditions.
Research activities focused on developing innovative mortars, including geopolymer materials and composites incorporating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and Thermochemical Materials (TCMs), capable of contributing to the thermal regulation of buildings.
At the same time, SCORE-MED pursued a second objective: developing scientific and digital tools capable of integrating the three dimensions of sustainability through the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach:
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), to evaluate environmental impacts throughout the life cycle.
- Life Cycle Costing (LCC), to analyze costs associated with materials and processes.
- Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), to assess social impacts and conditions along the supply chain.
Circular's Contribution: From Research to the Digitalisation of Sustainability – The Tool
As project coordinator, Circular managed the project activities and developed an LCSA framework applied to construction materials, aiming to transform sustainability assessment results into valuable information to support the design of innovative products.
One of the project's main achievements was the development of the SCORE-MED digital prototype, a platform built using Python, Streamlit and PostgreSQL technologies.
The platform integrates environmental, economic and social assessments into a single digital environment, enabling users to:
- Manage and compare the sustainability performance of different materials.
- Automatically import environmental information from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
- Collect social data through dynamic questionnaires specifically designed for S-LCA.
- Analyse material and process costs through LCC modules.
- Visualise results through an integrated dashboard and compare different design scenarios.
The key innovation lies in using sustainability assessment not only to measure the impacts of an already developed product, but also to guide decision-making during the design phase.
Key Project Results
The research activities led to the development and characterisation of new geopolymer mortar formulations, with particular emphasis on incorporating thermochemical materials to improve the thermal performance of buildings.
Comparative assessments were also carried out on five types of mortars: conventional, PCM, TCM, Tradigeo and geopolymer mortars.
The application of the LCSA framework enabled the identification of key environmental and economic hotspots, highlighting, for example, the contribution of alkaline activators to the carbon footprint of geopolymer mortars. These findings supported the identification of potential strategies for optimising material formulations.
The project's scientific and technological results were also showcased through dissemination activities, including the international Life Cycle Management 2025 (LCM2025) conference, Ecomondo, and scientific exchange initiatives at the University of Messina.
A Step Forward Towards More Sustainable Construction
SCORE-MED represented an important collaboration between research and industry, demonstrating the value of integrating materials innovation, sustainability assessment, and digital technologies.
Through its leadership of the project, Circular Srl contributed to the development of methodologies and technological solutions supporting ecodesign, the circular economy, and the energy transition in the construction sector.
With SCORE-MED, Circular strengthened its commitment to transforming scientific research into practical tools that support sustainable industrial decision-making.
For further information on the project's activities and results, please refer to the attached final technical report.
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