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Resource Use
Circular Economy
The built environment needs to move away from the linear economy and embrace circularity. This will reduce waste, carbon emissions and our impact on the natural world.
The built environment needs to move away from the take-make-waste economy. For a sustainable future, a regenerative, circular economy that rewards the reuse of finite materials and resources must take its place.
What is the Circular Economy?
At its simplest, the circular economy prioritises the reuse of materials, preventing the over extraction of natural resources and the number of usable materials that end up in landfill. More widely, it’s an economic model that builds overall system health by gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. Its visionary principles consider a different way of doing business, placing more importance on regenerating nature, carbon reduction and sustainable resource management than our current system. In practice, it can look as small as a refill hub for groceries in a commercial development, or be more significant like retaining a building’s structure and utilising second hand steel.
Circular Economy Principles
But for practitioners in the construction industry what does following the circular economy look like?
First laid out in our 2019 Circular economy guidance for construction clients the Circular Economy principles for buildings demonstrate how to build circularity in at each lifecycle stage.
Maximise reuse (including refurbish and repurpose)
A. Reuse the existing asset B. Recover materials and products on site or from another site C. Share materials or products for onward reuse
Design buildings for optimisation
A. Design for longevity B. Design for flexibility C. Design for adaptability iv. Design for assembly, disassembly and recoverability
Use standardisation
Standardised, modular elements in buildings are created with less waste and are easier to reuse.
Products as a service
Creating payment systems whereby materials are treated as a service – the contractor pays for the service of using materials not for the materials themselves.
Minimise impact and waste
A. Use low impact new materials B.. Use recycled content or secondary material C. Design out waste D. Reduce construction impacts
How can we enable a Circular Economy?
On an asset or business level the principles empower us to make the decisions that promote a circular economy. However, we need systems change so that all of industry can embrace circularity. As part of our Advancing Net Zero programme, our 2023 report System Enablers for a Circular Economy, identified eight enablers we can harness to create this shift.
- Collaboration & early engagement
- Second-hand materials market
- Design for disassembly/ design principles
- Green contracts and leases
- Tax & legislation
- Green financing
- Metrics, benchmarks, and indicators
- Education
Explore the Circular Economy
Key resources
System Enablers for a Circular Economy
A toolkit that examines the barriers to a circular economy, and present eight key enablers…
How Circular Economy Principles can impact carbon and value
Insight into the positive impact circular thinking can have in delivering whole life carbon reductions and value creation across construction projects.
Circular economy guidance for construction clients: How to practically apply circular economy principles at the project brief stage
Together with its members, UKGBC has produced a circular economy guidance for construction clients, which provides comprehensive practical guidance to support construction clients who want to ask for circular principles in their project briefs for non-domestic built assets.
Circular Economy Implementation Packs for Products as a Service and Reuse
UKGBC has published implementation packs on reuse and Products as a Service to assist built environment projects adopt circular economy principles.
News and Blogs
What does it mean to be 100% circular? Metrics, Benchmarks and Indicators for the Circular Economy
A circular economy embodies the fundamental principles of minimising waste and preserving the value of…
22 Sep, 2023
Embracing Circular Economy Design principles and interconnected enablers for Sustainability
UKGBC’s Circular Economy forum consider what it means to embrace the circular economy design principles of industry projects.
29 Aug, 2023
Using the tools we have to build a circular economy
Circular economy is a topic which has gained a lot of traction in recent years.…
26 May, 2023
Collaboration and Early Engagement to Enable a Circular Economy: Opportunities and Barriers
The Circular Economy forum reflect on the System Enabler: Collaboration and Early Engagement and what…
8 Mar, 2023
All Circular Economy Resources
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Material Passport Platform
Resource promoting material reuse in the built environment through the use of material passports, circular signatures for buildings, a digital bank of materials, and a reuse library.
Biobased Prefab Modular Building System
Sustainable construction system using modular biobased wall, roof, and floor panels.
Sustainable Structural Insulated Panels
Insulation made from recycled plastic and organic materials.
20 Water Street
JLL’s office fit out with an emphasis on applying circular economy principles whilst achieving good energy performance standards, and promoting wellbeing.
Reused Steel Stockmatcher
A tool to facilitate fast and accurate stock matching of reused steel in building designs.
Online registry of materials used in buildings
An online library of information on materials and products for registered buildings and infrastructure objects, providing insight on circularity, embodied carbon and toxicity.
Circular economy metrics for buildings
Transitioning to a circular economy is key to helping reduce our global resource use and…
Low carbon bricks made from industrial waste
Low carbon construction bricks and brickslips made from over 90% recycled construction and demolition waste.
Globechain
A platform to buy, sell or give away excess building materials to decrease waste in the construction sector.
System Enablers for a Circular Economy
A toolkit that examines the barriers to a circular economy, and present eight key enablers…
Enviromate
A construction and DIY marketplace platform that promotes a circular economy through the reselling and reuse of materials.
Sustainability Yard
A platform to buy, sell or give away excess building materials to decrease waste in the construction sector.
Resource Use
In the UK, construction, demolition and excavation account for 60% of material use and waste generation. Meanwhile, prices of construction materials in the UK rose by 4.9% between 2017 and 2018. Adopting circular economy principles offers a €1.8 trillion opportunity to the EU between 2015 and 2030.
