Circular economy index
A circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. (ref Ellen MacArthur Foundation). This is in contrast to the traditional 'linear' model which is based on the concept of 'make, break, and discard' or 'take, make waste'.
The circular economy is a concept in which everything is engineered to be constantly reused or recycled. It requires rethinking of design, manufacturing, selling, re-using, recycling and consumer ownership to keep resources in use for as long as possible and to extract maximum value.
'Business as usual' sees contractors and the supply chain following the waste hierarchy; reduce, reuse and recycle, to a greater or lesser extent. But the concept of the circular economy goes beyond the 3 R's and aims to maximise total material resource efficiency.
Below is a list of some of the many circular economy related articles:
- 5 things leaders can do to create a truly circular economy.
- A social, circular economy.
- ACAN Circular Economy overlay.
- ACAN Circular economy overlay to the RIBA plan of work.
- Adaptive reuse.
- Advancing Flooring Reuse with Adhesive-Free Tab Installation.
- Anthropocene.
- Arranging direct reuse.
- ASBP Reuse Now Campaign relaunched.
- Avoiding the landfill tax by embracing the circular economy.
- BAMB - Buildings As Material Banks.
- BES 6001 Responsible sourcing of construction products.
- BREEAM Construction waste management.
- BREEAM Recycled aggregates.
- BRE SMARTWaste online reporting platform.
- BSRIA briefing 2018.
- Building for life.
- Building products.
- CIBSE Case Study Sainsbury's.
- CIOB calls for reuse and refurbishment over demolition.
- Circular Building Assessment.
- Circular building assessment prototype.
- Circular Business Models.
- Circular Construction in Regenerative Cities (CIRCuIT).
- Circular economy.
- Circular economy and design for change within the built environment: preparing the transition.
- Circular economy about.
- Circular economy case studies.
- Circular economy features.
- Circular economy glossary.
- Circular economy in the built environment.
- Circular economy in built environment research projects and initiatives.
- Circular economy in urban planning and building permits.
- Circular economy key articles.
- Circular economy models.
- The Circular Economy Task Force CETF.
- The Circular Economy Task Force.
- Circular economy - transforming the worlds number one consumer of raw materials.
- Circular economy welcome.
- Construction consolidation centre (CCC)
- Circular Value Network.
- Construction waste disposal.
- Design for deconstruction.
- Design for deconstruction, BRE modular show house.
- Design for deconstruction - unlocking the circular economy.
- Design for deconstruction – helping construction unlock the benefits of the circular economy.
- Design life.
- Dismantling of bricks for reuse.
- Doughnut economics.
- Earth overshoot day.
- Economic sustainability..
- End of life potential.
- Energy from waste.
- Environment and sustainability frameworks, assessments and certifications in their historical context.
- Environmental - sustainable - green design.
- EU Referendum - Environmental and climate change consequences for the built environment.
- Five things leaders can do to create a truly circular economy.
- Green Construction Board.
- Groundbreaking Hire, Reclaim and Reuse Scheme to Combat Construction Waste.
- Hire, reclaim and reuse scheme combats construction waste.
- How data can stop waste.
- How do current policies support a transition towards a circular economy in the built environment?.
- How the circular economy drives a healthier future in the built environment.
- Improving construction and demolition waste data.
- Infrastructure under Mayor Sadiq Khan.
- International trends and the circular economy.
- Irish Life Sciences Global HQ, an exemplar of adaptive reuse.
- Life cycle assessment.
- Life Cycle Costing BG67 2016.
- Life cycle in the built environment.
- London Circular Economy Statements LPG - Additional resources.
- Material flows of the German building sector.
- Material loops.
- Material resource efficiency in construction: Supporting a circular economy.
- Materials Passports.
- Materials passports: Providing insights in the circularity of materials, products and systems.
- Nature and buildings; terms, histories, theories and practice.
- Our shared understanding: a circular economy in the built environment.
- Planned obsolescence.
- Potential reusability.
- Pre-demolition audit.
- Pre-demolition and pre-refurbishment audits.
- Product-life extension: product-life factor.
- Recyclable construction materials.
- Recycled aggregates.
- Recycled content.
- Recycling equipment.
- Recycling explained.
- Recycled plastic.
- Recycled plastic in construction.
- Recycled plastic in construction products.
- Recycled Plastic Market To Attain Value of $124,314.1 Million by 2030.
- Recycled plastic bridge.
- Recycled waste plastic in construction.
- Recycled water.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle..
- Refurbishment.
- Regenerative design.
- Rescue and Reuse: communities, heritage and architecture.
- Research shows significant benefits of structural steel reuse.
- Resource productivity.
- Retrofit.
- Reuse.
- Reuse of building products and materials – barriers and opportunities.
- Reuse of steel.
- Reuse Now campaign.
- Reuse Now Campaign relaunches to increase uptake of reused building products and accelerate transition to a more circular economy
- Reuse potential.
- Skills to build.
- Solastalgia.
- Supplementary planning document SPD.
- Sustainable development concepts decade by decade.
- Sustainable materials.
- Sustainable procurement.
- Sustainability in building design and construction.
- Symbiocene.
- Systemic view on reuse potential of building elements, components and systems.
- The Carbon Project: infrastructure and the circular economy.
- The future of the built environment in a revolutionary age.
- Upgrade.
- Utilising life cycle costing and life cycle assessment.
- UK Circular Economy Taskforce.
- Whole-life costing.
- Waste hierarchy for construction.
- Waste management and recycling services.
- Waste management plan for England.
- Waste management treatment and disposal services.
- What has the UK done about carbon reduction since the Paris Agreement?.
- Why we need to grasp the whole life cycle.
- Wood and the Circular Economy.
- Wood and the future home.
Featured articles and news
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure bill oulined
With reactions from IHBC and others on its potential impacts.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Architects Academy at an insulation manufacturing facility
Programme of technical engagement for aspiring designers.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.
The restoration of the novelist’s birthplace in Eastwood.
Life Critical Fire Safety External Wall System LCFS EWS
Breaking down what is meant by this now often used term.
PAC report on the Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Recommendations on workforce, transparency, support, insurance, funding, fraud and mismanagement.
New towns, expanded settlements and housing delivery
Modular inquiry asks if new towns and expanded settlements are an effective means of delivering housing.