Circular Economy and Regeneration of Building Stock …
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the more effective choice when it comes to material waste destination, which can,
for example, involve reuse, recycling or landfill disposal.
In this perspective, it is essential to disseminate the environmental sustainability
information of the product, promoting, for example, the use of existing certification,
such as EPD, or defining a certification that indicates the sustainability of a specific
circular strategy (such as reuse, remanufacturing and recycling) considering the entire
process (e.g. including the impacts due to transport and the entire logistics required
for the circular strategy). However, in this case, not only are policies necessary in
order to favour the use of life cycle tools in the building renovation process, but also
awareness and knowledge among the stakeholders regarding the sustainability must
be encouraged.
5 Conclusion
The chapter discusses the opportunities to link circular economy and the process of
building stock regeneration, in order to activate sustainable strategies which can
avoid the generation of construction and demolition waste and the consumption of
raw materials. In order to achieve the transition towards a sustainable circular
renovation building process, a change in policies, relationships and tools is
necessary. Regarding policies, future research needs to identify the reasonable
differences in price between landfill, raw materials and secondary materials in
order to encourage reuse and upcycling process; the achievable but ambitious
targets to add to green public procurement to encourage circular practices, and
future increasing targets; the economic incentives to promote the design for
disassembly and the use of secondary materials. Regarding the relationships, future
research needs to identify the best network process among operators in order to
activate circular strategies, such as reuse and remanufacturing; what type of
agreement or win-win solution can be activated among clients and material
producers/suppliers in order to activate take-back strategies or circular business
models based on leasing; moreover, the research needs to identify how to train and
educate expert operators/advisers on monitoring and optimizing material flows, and
accomplishing disassemble projects (in parallel, the mechanics technologies
needed to aid human labour should be developed). Finally, regarding the tools, the
research needs to define specific tools (while also implementing the existing ones,
such as the pre-demolition audit) which can help the decision-making process to
shift towards circular strategies with the support of LCA and LCC, in order to
achieve only sustainable strategies, identifying the specific decision-step and
operators which need the support of sustainable tools.
The application of circular economy through the building renovation process
opens operators up to the necessity to identify and train specific expert
operators/advisors who can help current operators directly involved during the
building renovation process in deciding upon circularity and sustainability.
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the more effective choice when it comes to material waste destination, which can,
for example, involve reuse, recycling or landfill disposal.
In this perspective, it is essential to disseminate the environmental sustainability
information of the product, promoting, for example, the use of existing certification,
such as EPD, or defining a certification that indicates the sustainability of a specific
circular strategy (such as reuse, remanufacturing and recycling) considering the entire
process (e.g. including the impacts due to transport and the entire logistics required
for the circular strategy). However, in this case, not only are policies necessary in
order to favour the use of life cycle tools in the building renovation process, but also
awareness and knowledge among the stakeholders regarding the sustainability must
be encouraged.
5 Conclusion
The chapter discusses the opportunities to link circular economy and the process of
building stock regeneration, in order to activate sustainable strategies which can
avoid the generation of construction and demolition waste and the consumption of
raw materials. In order to achieve the transition towards a sustainable circular
renovation building process, a change in policies, relationships and tools is
necessary. Regarding policies, future research needs to identify the reasonable
differences in price between landfill, raw materials and secondary materials in
order to encourage reuse and upcycling process; the achievable but ambitious
targets to add to green public procurement to encourage circular practices, and
future increasing targets; the economic incentives to promote the design for
disassembly and the use of secondary materials. Regarding the relationships, future
research needs to identify the best network process among operators in order to
activate circular strategies, such as reuse and remanufacturing; what type of
agreement or win-win solution can be activated among clients and material
producers/suppliers in order to activate take-back strategies or circular business
models based on leasing; moreover, the research needs to identify how to train and
educate expert operators/advisers on monitoring and optimizing material flows, and
accomplishing disassemble projects (in parallel, the mechanics technologies
needed to aid human labour should be developed). Finally, regarding the tools, the
research needs to define specific tools (while also implementing the existing ones,
such as the pre-demolition audit) which can help the decision-making process to
shift towards circular strategies with the support of LCA and LCC, in order to
achieve only sustainable strategies, identifying the specific decision-step and
operators which need the support of sustainable tools.
The application of circular economy through the building renovation process
opens operators up to the necessity to identify and train specific expert
operators/advisors who can help current operators directly involved during the
building renovation process in deciding upon circularity and sustainability.