Circular economy for construction materials – principles and guidance for implementation

Note: As requested by the responsible SDO, this NOI being reissued as the standard was in the initial stages of development for more than 12 months. An additional comment period of November 21 to December 12, 2023 (originally published on December 20, 2022).

New standard to provide a framework and guidance on implementation of circular economy principles for main construction materials, including but not limited to:

• cement and concrete;
• steel;
• wood; and
• masonry.

 The standard will include requirements for the establishment of:

• closed loop systems for construction materials;
• value creation models for secondary materials; and
• measurement and assessment of circularity of construction materials along the value chain and value networks.

Background:

The circular economy in the built environment encompasses all aspects of our lives: buildings, distribution systems that provide water and electricity, and roads, bridges, and transportation systems. It includes the full life cycle of construction, including design, planning and procuring, building, operation, maintenance, and deconstruction in a manner in which waste is a resource that is not discarded to landfill.

In contrast to the existing linear approach in which construction materials are landfilled at the end of life, a circular approach in the built environment maintains value in a variety of means, which include; using materials for longer (extending the life), reusing, repairing, repurposing or recycling materials.

Enabling a circular economy requires a transition in thinking from linear to circular regarding the extraction, management and movement of materials along the value chain and value networks, to maintain and extend the value of products. There is currently a lack of awareness, understanding and consensus amongst organizations regarding the potential of circular construction materials, establishment of closed material loops and ways to implement and measure material circularity.

Circular economy is a systems-based approach for achieving objectives such as decarbonization, net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, lower embodied carbon, waste reduction and low-carbon public procurement, among others. There is a need for guidance to private and public actors along the life cycle of construction on how circular construction materials can contribute to achieving key governmental priorities of decarbonization and Canada’s net-zero carbon economy by 2050.