Mapping circularity parameters: a literature review of policy planning in the built environment

Abstract

The construction industry is amongst the major consumers of natural resources, resulting in an exponential increase in overall waste generation, especially construction waste. The current approach to design in the construction industry is linear, involving take, make, dispose strategy, which has led to a significant depletion of resources and in turn to environmental degradation. The need for human shelter will remain inevitable; thus, there is an urgent need to integrate a circular economy approach within design and construction practices, which gives back to the environment it takes from. This change from linearity to circularity is a complex process, influenced by several factors. Government policies can be highly influential for this change from linear to circular approach in design, construction and management of the built environment. In the process of change, these policies need to be assessed and checked for every part that supports the circular economy principles. This systematic literature review critically examines the role of existing government policies in supporting circular economy principles and identifies key regulatory gaps that restrict their implementation. The primary gap lies in the implementation process. The suggestive nature of the frameworks hinders the implementation of such policies on a larger scale. Through the existing literature, 10 circular economy parameters were identified across 3 different construction phases, with the help of which key government policies will be analysed in the future. This study will identify the existing gap within the legal framework barring circular economy implementation in the construction sector.