Across Greater London, more than 13.8 million tonnes of construction waste – worth £1.25bn – could be saved over the next decade through the adoption of circular economy principles such as reusing and recycling construction materials instead of letting them go to waste.

A circular construction economy is one where the use of resources and waste is minimised through ‘reducing, reusing and recycling’ – targeting a reduction in the use of raw materials, and finding new and innovative methods to recycle and directly reuse waste materials where possible.

This could reportedly save 11 million tonnes of CO2 in a decade, equivalent to 3.5% of the UK’s annual emissions.

Despite making significant changes to construction practices to reduce carbon emissions across the sector, the construction industry globally still accounts for 40% of carbon emissions and over 50% of raw material use.

The report by Mace — named ‘Closing the Circle’ — focuses on the City of London specifically where, in the decade to 2021, construction and demolition activities generated 1.54 million tonnes of identifiable waste.

The report claims that the UK capital is the ideal place to build the world’s first true circular construction economy due to its highly innovative construction firms, developers, and occupiers with a keen interest in sustainability.

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In a bid to lower the use of virgin materials in construction, the report makes several recommendations:

• develop physical and virtual ‘circularity material banks’ that enable smaller companies to take advantage of materials produced elsewhere in the industry
• introduce ‘materials passports’ that track the source of materials within the supply chain and enable easier re-use
• bring industry and government together to build a credible circularity accreditation scheme to allow clients, investors, and contractors to demonstrate the value of their commitment to circularity

James Low, global head of responsible business at Mace, said: “We must be able to deliver zero embodied carbon buildings and infrastructure within our lifetimes.

“This requires the entire industry to come together to provide the information, products, construction practices, and behaviours required to realise the potential carbon savings associated with a more circular model in London over the next decade.”

Ged Simmonds, managing director of commercial offices at Mace Construct, added: “In the UK capital, we have a unique ecosystem where construction companies, planning authorities, and building occupiers are all coming together on a global issue.

“By adopting and mandating circularity across our built environment projects, we can make significant and meaningful steps in our shared pursuit of a sustainable world.”