ABSTRACT

The circular economy has set out a new paradigm for a much needed shift from eco-efficiency to eco-effectiveness. Buildings are top contributor globally for resource use and waste creation. Therefore, any improvement in an effective use of building materials would have significant effects when scaled up. However, some interventions are better than others; in the sense that they can maximize the reduction of negative environmental externalities with minimal impact on the economy. This paper investigates the most effective strategies for the reduction of environmental impacts from building material and components within the context of the UK. It uses the most recent input-output table to establish the link between the reduction of environmental externalities and the impact on the various economic sectors. In doing so, an informed trade-off is achieved and intervention strategies that would yield the most beneficial effect for the environment with minimal impact on economic growth are identified.

Introduction

The construction sector is the world’s largest consumer of raw materials, and accounts for 25-40% of global carbon dioxide emissions [1]. In the past decades there have been numerous initiatives to improve those figure, but with little success. More recently, it was accepted that the sole focus on the operational stage of buildings would not help reduce the overall environmental impacts, and whole life approaches are becoming increasingly mainstream as the right path to sustainability [2].However, life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings is far more complex than that of standard manufactured products, because built assets are characterized by long life-spans and numerous components that interact both temporally and dynamically [3]. Due to this complexity the suitability of LCA to guide significant improvements in the building sector isbeing questioned [4], even if it remains the most comprehensive tool to evaluate the life cycle environmental impacts of buildings [5]. Meanwhile, the new paradigm of the circular economy is increasingly gaining momentum, as a means to overcome the traditional contradiction between environmental consciousness and economic growth [6]. A recent review of existing research on the circular economy in the built environment can be found in [2], which also provides a research framework for future works in the field. However, the uptake of circular economy thinking within the built environment is still in its infancy, and this is likely due to the same reasons that make LCA hard to apply consistently, transparently, and rigorously.