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SPONSORED FEATURE Canadian-grown Solutions for Global Infrastructure Environmentally responsible infrastructure empowers communities. Innovative and sustainable solutions can help build that infrastructure.
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Reimagining Flood Management
As floods increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change, it is essential to integrate historical data into modern planning to avoid repeating past mistakes.
July 2025 Market Trends Handbook ccemag.com
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8 Conversation: Recycling Construction Plastics
As managing director of circular innovation for Light House, Gil Yaron oversees the Construction Plastics Initiative (CPI), which seeks to reduce the amount of waste from projects in Metro Vancouver going to landfill.
CANADIAN-GROWN SOLUTIONS FOR GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Solmax is a world leader in geosynthetic solutions for civil and environmental infrastructure. In 1981, our company began in Canada as a distributor to meet the growing demand for sustainable infrastructure solutions. In 1997, Solmax began manufacturing our own geosynthetics, giving us control over quality and innovation. Through the acquisition of GSE Environmental, TenCate Geosynthetics and Propex GeoSolutions, we have grown to be the largest geosynthetics company in the world, operating 20 plants and employing more than 2,000 talented people worldwide. Though our operations have expanded to 58 countries, our foundation remains proudly Canadian.
As we have grown, so have our capabilities. Today, Solmax offers an unparalleled portfolio of solutions, including the industry’s leading brands—GSE, MIRAFI, PROPEX, FABRINET, MIRAGRID, BENTOLINER and GEOTUBE— for applications including:
• Stabilization and roadway reinforcement.
• Pavement rehabilitation.
• Erosion control systems.
• Shoreline protection and stabilization.
• Retaining walls, reinforced slopes and berms.
• Barrier and containment.
• Filtration and drainage.
• Pond closures and caps.
• Dewatering systems.
In addition to our diverse mix of products and solutions, Solmax is dedicated to leading the
industry in innovation. We currently have more than 270 active patents and we continue to invest in technology, research and design to bring new solutions to the market. Our innovation pipeline prioritizes development of sustainable alternatives to traditional construction materials, designing for longevity, resilience and minimal environmental impact. Examples of how our products can make a difference in the communities where they are installed include the following:
• Use of MIRAFI H2Ri and RSi-Series in roadway stabilization can reduce CO 2 emissions by up to 70%.
• GEOTUBE Dewatering
systems can reduce waste by up to 80% and have been shown to successfully remove microplastics.
• Replacing rock riprap with PROPEX Armormax can reduce transportation emissions by up to 90%.
• Replacing a conventional drainage layer in landfills with GSE Geomembranes and FABRINET geocomposites reduces overall climate change impact by 69%.
Environmentally responsible infrastructure empowers communities; innovative and sustainable solutions can help build that infrastructure. We draw on our decades of engin-
eering expertise to pioneer geosynthetic products that provide long-term solutions and protect the environments in which they are installed. Sustainability is a priority at Solmax, coupled with highperformance, cost-effective solutions.
Solmax is committed to being a responsible industry leader, driving positive change and contributing to a more sustainable future. We are also committed to being a reliable technical partner. Solmax employs professional engineers who use their own field experience and expertise to support our customers from concept to installation. Through educational programs, technical papers, webinars and a suite of online design tools, Solmax is dedicated to making geosynthetics the benchmark for sustainable construction.
There is no project we cannot serve. Together, let’s build infrastructure better. To learn more, visit www.solmax.com.
Reimagining Flood Management
We must build resilient communities for the future.
By Jonathan Heinz
Floods are among the world’s most devastating natural disasters, causing enormous property damage and loss of life. With the increasing frequency and intensity of these events due to climate change, it is crucial to rethink our approach to flood management and work with communities to get them more involved in building resilient urban environments.
Learning from history
GHD’s research suggests floods that wash out highways, damage buildings and affect power grids could cost Canada’s economy $139 billion over the next 30 years.
Calgary’s catastrophic flood in 2013 serves as a stark reminder of their destructive nature; with five lives lost, 110,000 people evacuated and $6 billion in property damage, it stands as one of the costliest natural disasters in Canada’s history. And it highlighted the inadequacy of traditional flood defences, like em-
bankments and levees.
More recently, in 2021, floods in British Columbia cut off rail and highway links between Canada’s biggest port in Vancouver and the rest of the country and stressed supply chains already hampered by COVID-19 pandemic response. The effects of the floods included an increase in consumer good prices, reduced production in factories that could not acquire supplies and empty shelves in grocery stores.
The most intelligently designed infrastructure will not protect against future floods if we forget these past events. It is essential to integrate historical flood data into modern planning to avoid repeating past mistakes.
The role of natural floodplains and public infrastructure
One of the core concepts in modern flood management is giving rivers and waterways space to flood naturally. It is crucial to shift away from merely managing floods to instead avoiding them altogether by preserving natural floodplains.
Natural hazards can never be fully mitigated by building dams, levees and walls. Allowing rivers to reclaim portions of their natural floodplains can prevent damage to human infrastructure and promote ecological balance.
Public spaces also play an important role in enhancing a community’s resilience to floods. Initiatives like the Netherlands’ Ruimte voor de Rivier (‘Room for the River’) design project, which ran from 2006 to 2015, have demonstrated how integrating flood management with public spaces can provide many benefits.
Flood parks, permeable infrastructure and submersible structures are examples of how urban planning can incorporate flood resilience. Such spaces not only reduce flood risk, but also offer esthetic and recreational value, fostering a closer connection between communities and their environment.
In the U.S., the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) High Water Mark (HWM) Initiative—part of the National Flood Insurance Program— encourage d communities to host
"It is essential to integrate historical data into planning."
high-profile signage to increase local awareness of flood risk and motivate action toward mitigation. In Boulder, Colo., the Boulder Flood Mural has served a similar purpose, indicating the different flood levels the city may experience every two, five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years, particularly highlighting its historic September 2013 flood.
Collaboration and citizen engagement
Effective flood management requires active collaboration between governments, experts and the public. Comprehensive flood risk maps are crucial for identifying zones where flood-proofing measures are needed and directing new development away from high-risk areas. Resistance
driven by concerns over real estate values poses a significant challenge, however. In fact, it is not uncommon in Canada to see flood or wetland mapping withdrawn or modified because of public pressure.
Fostering collective, long-term thinking about climate change is essential to overcome this resistance. Engaging citizens in the process and educating them about the benefits of accurate flood risk maps can lead to more resilient communities.
A holistic approach
As climate change continues to exacerbate the frequency and severity of floods, it is imperative to adopt a holistic approach to flood management. Integrating natural floodplains, using public spaces, engaging communities and commemorating past events are key strategies in building flood-resilient urban environments.
By learning from history, embracing natural solutions and fostering collaboration, we can build a resilient future that not only mitigates flood risks, but also enhances the quality of life for urban residents.
Jonathan Heinz is an emergency management specialist for GHD, based in Calgary.
The world’s deadliest natural disasters
According to Our World in Data, a project by U.K.-based not-for-profit Global Change Data Lab, flooding ranks as the second most dangerous type of natural disaster around the world each year. What follows are the deadliest examples worldwide of the top 10 most dangerous natural disasters, from the past 150 years, based on number of deaths.
Worst hurricane: Great Galveston Storm, Texas, 1900 (8,000 deaths). Worst cyclone: Bhola Cyclone, Bangladesh and India, 1970 (300,000 to 500,000 deaths).
3. Earthquakes
Worst earthquake: Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 2010 (316,000 deaths). Worst tsunami caused by an earthquake: Indian Ocean, 12 countries, 2004 (225,000 deaths).
2. Flooding
Worst flood: Yangtze-Huai River, China, 1931 (estimated up to four million deaths).
1. Drought and famine
Worst drought: Northern China, 1876-1879 (nine to 13 million deaths).
Deadliest famine: Great Chinese Famine, 1959-1961 (15 to 55 million deaths).
This flood memorial serves as a reminder of how high water levels have risen in the past.
Recycling Construction Plastics
Gil Yaron is managing director of circular innovation for Light House, a Vancouver-based organization that works with construction professionals reach environmental goals. One of his current projects is the Construction Plastics Initiative (CPI), which seeks to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
How did CPI come about?
CPI was born from a conversation in 2023 between myself and Jeff Wint—previously with OceanWise and now with Recycling Alternative—about concerns regarding plastics escaping construction sites and ending up in waterways.
We are experiencing a plastic crisis in Canada and around the world, yet we don’t have any data on the amount of plastic waste being generated from construction sites. What we do know is that all of it is currently going to landfill.
Jeff and I put a proposal together to study the degree to which plastics were escaping, but the project did not proceed. Then, in 2024, the provincial government’s CleanBC program announced a new round of funding for the Clean Plastics Action Fund. We saw an opportunity to expand our original concept to capture all plastics leaving construction sites and to explore the ability to develop a circular economic model for repurposing plastics as a resource in the creation of new building materials.
Fortunately, CleanBC selected CPI as a pilot project. The federal government later joined the project to explore the alignment of data tracking with requirements under the new federal plastics registry for producers of materials for construction, to be introduced in 2026.
How does the initiative work?
The purpose of CPI is to demonstrate an
Gil Yaron
alternative to the linear economic ‘takemake-waste’ model in the construction sector.
Currently, plastics are manufactured to make and package building products.
In all cases, these plastics ultimately end up in landfill—in the case of packaging, after a single use. Significant attention has been placed across Canada on addressing the plastic crisis with a focus on single-use products and packaging, but this has not addressed plastics coming from construction, which is arguably the largest single source of plastic waste.
CPI is working with 10 construction projects to capture all plastics generated during the process. The plastics are sorted, weighed and tracked to determine the types and volumes of materials leaving the construction sites.
Materials made from polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) are pelletized and integrated into new building materials, creating a circular model for managing construction waste as a resource. The remaining plastics are either recycled or,
if there is no option, landfilled.
Based on the findings from these 10 construction projects, CPI aims to estimate the total amount of plastics generated on construction sites in British Columbia and Canada and demonstrate the viability of a circular economic model that treats waste as a resource.
What role is there for consulting engineers?
There are two opportunities for consulting engineers.
The first is to source products made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, such as those we are currently manufacturing with the plastics from CPI, and to ask their suppliers to include PCR content in their products.
The second opportunity, in keeping with circular economic principles, is for consulting engineers to encourage their suppliers to (a) reduce the amount of plastic packaging for their products and (b) establish take-back programs for plastic packaging.
CPI is capturing plastic waste from the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), among other sites.
