Track: Decision Sciences

Abstract

Particleboard (PB) is an essential engineered product, which is often used as a replacement for wood, thus playing a significant role to reduce deforestation and improving environmental sustainability. Proper selection of PB is important to make sure that the chosen product has the required durability and sustainability and thus can maintain the quality of the construction work. This study proposes a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach, to evaluate the selection criteria of PB to aid the decision-makers of the civil construction projects. In this approach, the existing evaluation criteria have been categorized into four criteria- Physical Properties, Mechanical Properties, Chemical Properties, Health, and Environmental Impact. Then a Best Worst Method (BWM) has been used to determine the criteria and sub-criteria weights to evaluate the PBs. After that, a Weighted Product Model (WPM) has been applied to generate the final ranking of the products to aid the decision-makers to select the right product. The study finds Emission Level, Moisture Content, and Toxicity as the most weighted evaluation criteria to select a PB. For this study, the required expert feedback has been collected from the supervisors and managers of different construction firms in Bangladesh. The obtained results are expected to benefit the managers, supervisors, and other decision-makers of the construction projects to select the right product for their construction projects to maintain their quality and reputation.