Construction is one of the world’s most resource-intensive and waste-generating industries. According to the UK Green Building Council, it accounts for around 60% of material use and waste production in the UK. It is also responsible for 37% of greenhouse gas emissions, as highlighted by the UN Environment Programme.
The industry has long operated on a linear economy model, where resources are extracted, used to build, and then discarded as waste. This approach has contributed significantly to the depletion of natural resources and is increasingly unsustainable, with a considerable environmental cost.
As we work toward a more sustainable built environment, it’s critical to move away from the traditional ‘take-make-dispose’ model and adopt a circular economy model instead.
The circular economy concept is about keeping products, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible. Rather than discarding them after use, circularity focuses on reusing, recycling or repurposing them, reducing the need for new raw materials and minimising waste.
Adopting circular practices in the built environment brings many more benefits to the industry that extend beyond the environmental impact. From an economic perspective, circularity practices can help lower the costs associated with sourcing new raw materials, better manage the volatility of their prices, and mitigate risks.
By designing buildings with circularity in mind, the industry can improve their lifespan and resilience. Longer building and infrastructure lifespans mean fewer resources will be needed over time to maintain them. In turn, this can increase the long-term value of built assets over their lifecycle.
How can the industry transition to a circular economy?
An important step is upskilling the workforce, to equip professionals with the knowledge and tools to make more sustainable choices throughout construction projects. Additionally, understanding the benefits of circularity, both environmental and economic, will encourage businesses to adopt these practices more widely.
“Upskilling is key to effectively embedding circular economy principles within organisations in the built environment and to drive sustainability,” says Shribavani Shrikaran, strategic advisory consultant at BRE, who has helped develop a new course – Circular Economy in Construction Foundations.
Drawing on BRE’s world-leading sustainability expertise, this new course from BRE Academy is designed to help learners grasp the concept of the circular economy in the context of the built environment.
The course highlights the importance of circularity by addressing its role in reducing environmental impact, its commercial benefits, and its contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also includes case studies and examples that show how circular economy principles are applied in the industry, helping learners see their real-world value and understand how to drive sustainability.
