It is estimated that the global population will grow by 22% to 9.7 billion by 2050, and, with the current consumption pattern, it's not hard to imagine the environmental burden and material shortage to which the urban infrastructure needed to meet this growth will lead.
According to the UN's 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction:
Buildings represented ~37% of global GHG emissions in 2021.
21% of global GHG emissions were related to material production in 2018. Most of these come from producing bulk materials: iron and steel, cement, lime and plaster, plastics and rubber.
According to Eurostat Waste statistics, in the EU, inert C&DW accounted for 37.1% of all waste generated in 2020, thereby becoming the largest waste stream in Europe. In Iceland, C&DW share in total waste generated is around 50%. Currently, it is mainly used as backfilling and landscaping material, which, in many cases, should be classified as downcycling, i.e., a significant reduction in the quality and functionality of the material concerning its original values.
In the Communication from the EU Commission - A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives, we read that 85-95% of today's building stock will exist in 2050.
Moreover, following the UN Environment Programme report, natural resource extraction and processing (so including raw materials extractions and processing for construction purposes) accounts for more than 90% of global biodiversity loss and water stress.
Mitigating the toll on the environment taken by the construction sector demands transforming the sector into a more circular one, thereby preserving the value of construction materials and keeping them on the market as long as possible.
Circular construction can also have positive social impacts. Firstly, it can result in a healthier and safer working environment for construction workers due to, among others, avoiding hazardous and harmful components and limiting on-site preparation work when using prefabricated elements. Secondly, it can positively impact local communities by reducing on-site work intensity and shortening its duration (read more here).
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