The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has released a study showing the positive impact the circular economy can have in reducing carbon emissions and delivering net-zero goals.

‘How Circular Economy Principles can impact carbon and value’ found that through circular thinking whole life carbon reductions and value creation across construction projects is achieved. Current UK projects are successfully reusing materials such as steel and other building structures to save embodied carbon and simultaneously reduce costs.

Due to the fluctuating price and global shortage of raw materials, the construction industry is being further driven to explore opportunities to adopt circular thinking. The 2021 Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap (The Roadmap) confirmed that a net-zero carbon built environment is achievable by 2050 – with circular economy principles playing a significant part. This study aims to offer practical solutions for this process.

The research also offers a library of case studies which evidence the positive impact circularity is already delivering across new and existing projects within the UK. These show that the advantages of circularity can extend beyond carbon, with a range of organisational, social, environmental, and financial value uplifts.

The study seeks to enable project decision-makers and key built environment stakeholders to strengthen the business case for implementing circularity. This includes developers, owners, and investors in real estate, as well as design, construction, and consultancy teams. UKGBC notes that although the research was on don-domestic and domestic buildings, the findings are likely also relevant to infrastructure projects.

Having identified potential problem areas, the study offers several practical solutions. Notably, it identifies that projects may need to compromise with Local Authorities to retain heritage elements of infrastructure. For example, the Cambridge council conservation team worked with contractors on the Entopia Building to ensure historic windows were maintained while also achieving energy saving goals.

Another example demonstrated by the Entopia Building, is cases in which the visual appeal of the reused materials may cause hesitancy in the client. In the Cambridge case, the contractors were able to provide previous examples where the aesthetic appeal of wooden flooring had not been compromised despite the use of recycled wood. 

A potential concern for contractors is the rise in costs associated with cleaning and transporting materials. UKGBC recommends working with exchange platforms such as Globechain and Collecteco, and ensuring that all purchased materials are bought with a warranty. The study also notes that it expects these expenses to be reduced as circular infrastructure and thinking becomes the norm.

UKGBC reports that the system would benefit from greater consistency in the measurement and reporting of whole life carbon and circularity practices. The research concludes that measurement is infrequent, inconsistent, and difficult due to the lack of a common set of metrics and methods to measure both the whole life carbon and circularity of projects. It notes that there are efforts being made to address the issues identified.

Julia Hirigoyen, UKGBC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The circular economy represents an enormous opportunity for the built environment industry.

“Today’s research demonstrates that through the smart application of circular practices, significant carbon savings can be made across the entire lifecycle of a building, as well as delivering cost-benefits and providing opportunities to enhance social value.

“Whilst UKGBC’s Roadmap confirmed a net-zero carbon built environment is achievable by 2050, it also reinforced that meeting this target will require a transformational shift in the way we approach and deliver construction projects, with circularity as a fundamental part of the solution.”

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