International consultancy and construction company Mace has published a new report in which it is calling for London to become the ‘circular construction capital’ of the world.
In its ‘Closing the Circle’ report, which explores the potential of reusing and recycling construction materials, Mace argues the UK capital is the ideal place to build the world’s first true circular construction economy thanks to its highly innovative construction firms, developers and occupiers with a keen interest in sustainability and with planning authorities already promoting circularity practices.
To reduce the use of virgin materials used in construction, the report outlines a number of recommendations, such as developing physical and virtual ‘circularity material banks’ that enable smaller companies to take advantage of materials produced elsewhere in the industry and introducing ‘materials passports’ that track the source of materials within the supply chain and enable easier re-use.
The report claims if the currently linear model is successfully transformed into a circular model, it would be worth more than £1.25bn to London’s construction industry over the next 10 years, with the equivalent of 11 million tonnes of CO2 saved.
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, and we believe that the transition to a circular economy is amongst the most important innovations and system changes required to achieve that.
“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: “This thought-provoking report clearly illustrates how London can be the circularity capital of the world, a title I am certain all Londoners would be keen for it to hold.
“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.”
