UKGBC announce new System Enablers for a Circular Economy Task Group

UKGBC is pleased to share the task group for the ongoing System Enablers for a Circular Economy project, convened from across the UKGBC membership.

While circular economy principles increasingly find their way into construction projects, a widespread adoption at scale is still not happening. Matching supply and demand of reused materials, questions around risk and warranty and legal frameworks are just some of the areas that currently stop circular economy from becoming mainstream. This project will identify the main barriers to a systemic shift from a linear to a circular economy in the construction sector, including what infrastructure will be needed to overcome those barriers. 

This Task Group will develop a vision of how a circular economy will be operated once achieved, and gaps between the status quo and where we want to be will be identified. This will enable decision points to be identified where there could be actions to shift towards a circular economy.  

Task Group Members 

Name  Job title Organisation 
Kathryn James Public Affairs and Sustainability Advisor ROCKWOOL
Flavie Lowres Sustainability Champion FIS
James Shears Environmental and Sustainability Manager Overbury and Morgan Lovell
Ara Nik Senior Sustainability Consultant AESG
Andrew Moore Associate Director Hilson Moran
Rachel Hoolahan Architect Orms Architects
Peter Kelly Group Director of Sustainable Operations ISG
Nicoletta Michaletos Consultant, Sustainability & Physics Buro Happold
Maya DeSouza Circular Economy Director Business in the Community
Rosie Dodd Consultant The Carbon Trust
Mohamed Osmani Professor of Sustainable Design and Construction Loughborough University
Mihailo Simeunovich Group Head of Technical & Design Ibstock PLC
Heather Binnie Project Environmental Manager John Sisk and Son
Debbie Ward Knowledge Transfer Manager University of Wolverhampton
Jessica Rowe Structural Engineer Ramboll
Matthew Teague Architect Tata Steel
Georgina Elliot Co-Founder / Associate Partner Ecobrixs / Revcap

This project forms part of UKGBC’s Advancing Net Zero Programme, which has been made possible this year thanks to the generous support of our programme and project partners.  

Kai Liebetanz, Sustainability Advisor at UKGBC said: 

“As the twin crises of climate and biodiversity accelerate at an alarming rate, we must progress circular economy from concept to practice, in order to stop excessive resource use, limit carbon emissions, and stay within planetary boundaries.   

Many practitioners already work towards circularity, but to truly transition into a circular way of construction requires a concerted effort across professions and supply chains to identify and overcome the root causes that perpetuate our unsustainable linear economy. 

Using a systems-thinking approach, this Task Group will identify practical stakeholder actions that need to be taken in order to make the much-needed shift to a circular economy, and aims to identify enablers capable of tipping the system over to circularity as default.” 

ANZ Programme Partners

Circular Economy Project Partners

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As part of the Social Value Programme UKGBC is facilitating a task group to develop an industry-led definition for social value in the context of the built environment.
1 Jun, 2020