Awareness of the global sand crisis and sand substitutes in the construction industry in the United States and Canada: a stakeholder analysis

The urgent call to address the global sand crisis has been sounded by the United Nations and environmental organizations, yet it is unclear whether this message has reached key stakeholders who are major consumers of sand and who make decisions about using sand or sustainable sand substitutes. The construction industry is by far the primary consumer of sand. Using a stakeholder framework, this study focuses on stakeholders in the US and Canadian construction industry. A survey completed by 378 respondents found very little familiarity with the sand crisis, sand substitutes in cement, or sand substitutes in building materials. No differences were found for decision makers purchasing sand and non-decision makers. As for roles, no differences were found among academics, architects, engineers, or managers except for familiarity with sand substitutes. Recommendations are offered to increase awareness of the sand crisis and encourage adoption of sustainable sand substitutes, and suggestions for further research are discussed.