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The built environment sector largely exists to serve our universal need for shelter, and as such is one of the most important consumers of raw materials in the world.

We believe the built environment should be a ‘living’ system in which building materials and products are optimally used and reused— a system that operates within the boundaries of our planet, preserves the (business) value of its resources, and ensures the well-being of its inhabitants.

Tremendous opportunities to reverse the tide and prevent a state of lock-in from happening exist for regions where the built environment sector has yet to mature. There is also still hope for those regions where the fate of the construction sector may seem set in stone.

This is why two key strategies stand out: 

- Preventing lock-in through thoughtful design
- Optimising (material value) through transformative re-design

Built environment

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Article / Report

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the social fabric of the community and well-being of the individuals and families.

Social Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Direct and indirect reduction in economic costs

Cost Savings

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Societal Services

Producing building materials and providing services to create residential and non-residential infrastructure and real estate


Construction and Infrastructure

Utilise waste streams as a source of secondary resources and recover waste for reuse and recycling

Use waste as a resource

Work together throughout the supply chain, internally within organisations and with the public sector and communities to increase transparency and create joint value

Team up to create joint value

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within other industries

Valorise waste streams - open loop

Industry peers to industry peer collaboration to create joint value and identify synergies

Industry collaboration

Engage with the government on circular policies and programmes

Government collaboration

'Manage' influences the use and function of physical and material elements within the urban environment. 

Manage

Innovation-oriented public procurement

 Public Procurement

Cycle strategies aim to cycle and reuse materials at their highest value: they maximise the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs and therefore also narrowing flows. Of course, virgin materials will always be needed to a degree: all materials degrade and can’t be cycled infinitely, use energy, and require blending with virgin materials to maintain strength and functionality.

Cycle

Impacts

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Industries

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policy Instruments

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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Material cycles Digital platforms are created to optimise logistics related to the material recycling of different waste fractions and side streams at industries. For example, LAB University of Applies Sciences is developing digital information management for textile recycling. In addition, LAB and the City of Lahti are promoting the digitalisation and open access to information at city subsidiary companies. Muovipoli Ltd. has established together with The Finnish Plastics Industries Federation a knowledge network for plastic industries, called New Plastics Center. It focuses on promoting biomaterial innovation and product development in Finland, developing new materials and increasing cooperation and networks. Telaketju is a national cooperation network that forwards textile recycling by developing the collection, sorting out and refining processes of end-of-life textiles. LAB University of Applied Sciences develops automatic identification and sorting of textile fibres, as well as categorization of recyclable materials. LAB also works with region’s companies to encourage them to join the Telaketju network. Work is ongoing to reduce the carbon footprint caused by earth works by utilizing industrial side streams like fly ash in road construction. The use of side streams is piloted at rural and municipal road structures in Päijät-Häme in ARVO-TUHKA project. The material efficiency of region’s SMEs is promoted through developing a new type of Material Efficiency Audit with the national coordinator Motiva. LAB has piloted the audit successfully in a few local industries and is striving to scale up the activities. Higher education institutions are constructing testing and pilot environments at NiemiCampus to boost circular economy. Existing facilities at LAB include a furniture testing laboratory, a washing and recycling line for plastics and an identification and sorting line for textiles. In addition, LAB and LUT University have received funding for a circular economy laboratory consisting of, for instance, pyrolysis and magnetic sorting equipment for handling construction and demolition waste, and a digestion facility. Circular Material Library has been constructed to promote circular economy through product design and new industrial symbiosis. Muovipoli Ltd. and LAB have created the library including both material samples and a digital database. New business is being created through 3D printing in Päijät-Häme. LAB is developing and piloting a new kind of 3D printing technology in digiValmistus project. The technology enables the use of different kinds of recycled materials for printing. The City of Lahti is drafting a circular economy road map and focusing environmental spearheads during the year 2020. Furthermore, Municipal Engineering is drafting its own circular economy road map. Procurement Public procurement is developed to consider product lifetime environmental impacts and expenses. Procurement guidelines support the purchase of products with long lifespan emphasising repairability, maintenance and re-use possibilities. In addition, the possibilities of shared use of products and replacing products with services are raised into discussion. The smart use of recycled materials in products and services is promoted by including the use of recycled materials as a procurement criteria at Päijät-Häme municipalities. 

Australia

New Zealand

One Planet Foundation

The report State of play for circular built environment in Africa provides a snapshot of Africa’s circular built environment in 2020, by focusing on Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Keyna, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. The context of these countries is introduced in regards to the use of circular materials, the construction industry on the whole and waste management, and the report also delves into policy and legislation that supports circular principles in the built environment. Areas where further circular approaches could be taken are put forward and discussed, taking the form of policy recommendations.

State of play for circular built environment in Africa

The report State of play for circular built environment in Asia provides a snapshot of Asia’s circular built environment in 2020, with a focus on some of the continent’s fastest developing nations: India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Nepal. The study outlines the Asian context based on current developments in the built environment, and presents the catalysts for circularity across the continent. It also analyses different steps along the value chain of the built environment, pinpointing areas where circular strategies could be beneficial.

State of play for circular built environment in Asia

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Starter Kit collection

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Putting in place purchasing guidelines for procurement departments and evaluating suppliers on circular economy principles

Circular procurement

Buildings are where we live, work and play, and also where we store machinery and goods for later consumption. Buildings are but one component of the greater built environment which includes urban infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities. 
Current construction techniques have buildings consuming the bulk of materials globally. With increasing urbanisation and therefore demand for buildings of every kind, we drastically need to re-imagine how we design, utilise and decommission buildings.

BUILDINGS

Waste is often the entry point for discussing a circular economy. However, in a fully circular economy, waste does not exist as it has  been designed out of the system from the outset, either through avoidance (reduction of materials) or because outputs are such that they can be re-used as inputs into other production and consumption processes. Studying existing waste streams allows us to trace the problem back to its source and design an appropriate intervention. 

WASTE

'Regulate' changes the rules of the systems to achieve compliance through enforcement. 


Regulate

'Incentivise' sends market signals and support to businesses, citizens and governments to promote certain activities.

Incentivise

Urban Opportunities

  Circular economy in Päijät-Häme is based on Region’s strong knowledge in environmental technology and cleantech. Since the 1990s the Region has been as a forerunner of environmental technology. The possibilities of circular economy are expected to create growth and business in Päijät-Häme in the future, strengthen Region’s logistically important location and bold Päijät-Häme’s profile as a Region of sustainable development.   The circular economy in Päijät-Häme means energy and resource efficiency and new solutions in bio and circular economy. The circular economy will create new business possibilities, products and services. New services, and circular economy education in different levels will raise capabilities and offer companies new business possibilities and knowledge in transition to sustainable economy.            Päijät-Häme’s circular economy roadmap defines targets, collects both actors and projects and in systematic way guides Region’s progress in circular economy. Region’s authorities, developers, representatives of universities and businesses hold several times a year the Circular Economy Group meeting. The group exchanges information on ongoing and planned circular economy activities and projects. For further information, please contact: Mr. Juha HertsiRegional Development ManagerTel. + 358 44 3719 442juha.hertsi(a)paijat-hame.fi  Ms. Riika KiveläProject ManagerTel. +358 44 3719 454riika.kivela(a)paijat-hame.fi   

Europe

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The report State of play for circular built environment in Europe provides a snapshot of Europe’s circular built environment in current times, exploring why the circular transition is necessary and how the linear economy has failed to serve us thus far. The much-needed cultural shift in design is also highlighted, along with the transitional roles actors in the construction industry will need to take up. Limitations of the current ‘state of the art’ are addressed through potential solutions and strategies for change.

State of play for circular built environment in Europe


While resources are in-use, maintain, repair and upgrade them to maximise their lifetime and give them a second life through take back strategies when applicable

Stretch the lifetime

Give products and parts another life after their end-of-use

Maximise lifetime of products after use

Extraction and reuse of parts from end-of-life products for use in new products

Part recovery

Slow strategies aim to keep materials in use for as long as possible, for example through design for durability and repairability. A more circular economy is also a slower one: materials, components, and products—and even buildings and infrastructure—that we lock in stocks are made to last. This will lower material demand in the long run, in essence also serving to narrow resource flows.

Slow

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

Bahrain

Saudi Arabia

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The report State of play for circular built environment in Gulf Cooperation Council countries provides a snapshot of the circular built environment in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Limited information was found on the circular built environment across the given nations, indicating that circular economy is a rather new concept in this region—and traditional, linear methods prevail when it comes to building up infrastructure. This is particularly relevant given that 85% of the population lives in cities, making the Gulf Cooperation Council one of the most urbanised regions in the world.&nbsp;

State of play for circular built environment in Gulf cooperation and Council Countries


The report State of play for circular built environment in Latin America and the Caribbean provides a snapshot of the circular built environment in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and Mexico. It summarises the current circular initiatives existing in construction in the given countries, with a focus on responsibility sourced construction materials as well as the disposal of construction and demolition waste. Recommendations for future action are provided for stakeholders in the construction sector, specifically surrounding solid waste management and sustainable development.&nbsp;

State of play for circular built environment in Latin America and the Caribbean



The report State of play for circular built environment in North America provides a snapshot of the circular built environment in the United States. It focuses on material use by identifying frameworks, policies and programmes that promote the circular transition, and addresses the challenges that increasing urbanisation and need for construction materials pose. In its analysis, the report touches upon the impact of the built environment on the environment, construction and demolition waste management, general solid waste management, government incentives for biomaterial use and the role of design in circular construction. Finally, the report provides recommendations for the future—as it hopes to act as the foundation for future research and development in the field.&nbsp;

State of play for circular built environment in North America


The report State of play for circular built environment in Oceania provides a snapshot of the circular built environment in Australia and New Zealand. It paints a broad picture of policies and programmes currently in place, and clarifies areas where improvements could be made or future roadmaps for a circular transition drawn up.&nbsp;