Towards Sustainable Construction: A Systematic Review of Circular Economy Strategies and Ecodesign in the Built Environment

Abstract

This review discusses the unsustainable nature of current production and consumption patterns, particularly in the civil construction sector. To address this, the circular economy model has been proposed as a solution, but the impact reduction of circular strategies (CS) is not well understood. Thus, aligning CS with ecodesign can help achieve sustainable development. We conducted a systematic review of studies on CS and ecodesign strategies (ES) in the built environment, which led us to identify 23 essential strategies, including reuse, recycling, design for disassembly, and design for life extension. This article expands on previous research by identifying 51 CS and ES, some of which are interconnected, and adopting one strategy may benefit another. The authors propose a framework based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act concept to support and manage trade-offs when selecting strategies and to facilitate a collaborative decision-making process. The framework can also help manage the effects of using these strategies on circularity and environmental, social, and economic performance, ultimately improving the construction sector’s environmental performance.

Keywords

• construction industry
• life cycle perspective
• life cycle assessment
• environmental performance
• circular economy (CE)
• ecodesign