The World Green Building Council has released a guide to help the built environment incorporate circular economy and resource efficiency principles into its activities.
The Circular Built Environment Playbook maps out more than 20 strategies for implementing circular design, construction and operation in the built environment. Circular economy principles help achieve global climate targets by minimising the extraction of materials and using more efficient designs, to optimising nature-based solutions and closing material loops at the end of a building’s lifecyle, according to the report.
In 2022, a year’s worth of biological resources were used in just seven months, which implies we are consuming 75 per cent more than the earth is capable of replenishing each year, according to the Circularity Gap Report 2022, which claims the world is only 7.2 per cent circular, and that all other products made are being discarded.
Cities produce an estimated 70 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions and consume almost half the resources extracted globally, according to the UN, and the circular economy provides an opportunity to regenerate resources and accelerate socio-economic development, the report stated.
“It is clear that if we want to secure a future for our planet and people, then we cannot keep going on this path of consumption and waste,” World chief executive Cristina Gamboa said.
“That’s why our network is taking action to increase awareness and accessibility of circular economy solutions, by guiding all stakeholders towards sustainable, circular decision-making.”
“The need for a circular built environment has never been more important and our Circularity Accelerator programme is shining a light on the solutions available.”
The Circularity Accelerator program is a WorldGBC initiative to encourage the adoption of circular economy and resource efficiency in the building and construction sector.
The WorldGBC partnered with Brightworks Sustainability, Foster + Partners, Vinzero and Kingspan, WSP and CBRE to produce the playbook, in consultation with a steering committee and expert panel.
“Adopting circularity in the built environment is essential to achieve a regenerative balance, by facilitating the decarbonisation of the industry, limiting finite raw materials extraction and waste production all while staying within planetary boundaries,” Foster + Partners partner and heard of sustainability Chris Trott said.
You can download the playbook here.