Circular Economy

Squaring up: why construction should help build the circular economy

There are numerous things about the construction industry that I’m proud of, after spending more than 30 years in the business. But the sector’s record on waste production – globally and right here on our own doorstep in the UK – certainly isn’t one of them. 

The same goes for the often depressingly careless attitude we see when it comes to the steady depletion of the planet’s precious finite resources.

According to Government statistics, the UK’s total waste tally in 2018 was 222 million tonnes, of which 138 million tonnes originated from construction, demolition and excavation waste. Some five million tonnes of that construction and demolition waste found its way into landfill.

Those eye-watering numbers convey just how damaging our industry’s activities are on the natural environment. While most construction waste is now diverted from landfill, far too little of this material is being recycled or reused as it should be. In fact, the volume of reused materials in construction has steadily gone down, at the same time as more and more materials are being extracted around the globe.

That situation simply isn’t sustainable – in any sense. Construction needs to get its house in order to tackle the issue of waste and the industry’s vast consumption of finite materials. The goal should be a circular economy, where businesses tread far more lightly in terms of their material impact on the environment. An economy, in other words, that operates through ‘designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems’, according to the definition from the Ellen McArthur Foundation.

The 2030 Net Zero deadline is starting to concentrate minds across all industries.  But the construction industry, in particular, needs to be right at the heart of those efforts. It starts with getting the foundations right. Call it conscious construction: a mindset where sustainable, circular principles are embedded into project design from day one. And where the focus is less on short-term delivery goals than long-term regenerative outcomes.

A report produced by the UKGBC and its members in 2022 offers some valuable guidance on circular design and construction principles in project briefs for non-domestic construction projects. Central to that is designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use as long as possible and regenerating natural systems.

There is no way we can afford to continue with the same old, same old. The scale of the challenge needs robust commitment from the top down and across entire organisations. Everyone should be signed up, from the construction firm to its contractors and all the way through the supply chain.

Drawing on my own experience of commercial construction, I work with leadership teams to help them see the wood from the trees in terms of embedding circular solutions within their business, considering at every stage how to conserve resources and minimise waste. Instilling a new approach, in other words, that says ‘how do we reuse or recycle’ rather than the default ‘there’s always more where that came from’.

Solving this issue also calls for an industry wide conversation, where the largest, best-established businesses set the template that the battalions of far smaller businesses can follow.  Rapidly evolving technology solutions will also help here.

At the end of the day, moving to circular economy principles is as much about the carrot as it is about the stick. Of course, industry regulators will rightly be breathing down companies’ necks to see they hit the tough targets set for them. Yet there are also significant benefits to doing so. Major cost savings are to be had from cutting waste and opting for recyclable materials – and there are potentially rich pickings for those businesses with the brightest ideas. It’s all to play for, in my book.