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About Introduction Principles of a Circular Economy Building and Construction Materials Design and Retrofit Regenerate Nature About the World Green Building Council The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is the largest and most influential local- regional-global action network, leading the transformation to sustainable and decarbonised built environments for everyone, everywhere. Together, with 75+ Green Building Councils and industry partners from all around the world, we are driving systemic changes to: < • Address whole life carbon emissions of existing and new buildings • Enable resilient, healthy, equitable and inclusive places • Secure regenerative, resource efficient and waste-free infrastructure We work with businesses, organisations and governments to deliver on the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs). Find out more www.worldgbc.org WorldGBC’s Circularity Accelerator is kindly supported by: Global Programme Partners Report Partners 2 The Circular Built Environment Playbook
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Levers for Change Our Call to Action The Circular-Ready Checklist CEO Foreword Glossary < In the natural world nothing goes to waste. It is undeniable that humans, with our current linear systems which extract, transform, use and waste materials, are causing immeasurable damage to ourselves and to the planet. The use and waste of materials and products is trending in a dangerously unsustainable direction. Our homes, localities and infrastructure cover less than 2% of the earth’s surface, yet our cities consume almost half the resources extracted globally 1 . Current estimates calculate that the world is only 7.2% circular, and continually overshooting planetary boundaries 2 . A circular economy is an essential part of the sustainability solution. All governments and the building and construction sector must prioritise the massive material and waste footprint of our current linear system and embrace a circular transition that leverages social value for all. The transition to a circular economy within the built environment brings opportunities to decouple economic growth from carbon emissions and could yield up to US $4.5 trillion in economic benefits between today and 2030 3 . Through the Circular Built Environment Playbook, we hope to make the complex principles of the circular economy easy to understand for every actor in the built environment value chain. We have mapped out more than 20 strategies of implementing circular design, construction and operation for the built environment, illustrated with best practice case studies from all over the world. We hope this will be an invaluable resource to guide the much needed system change from linear to circular. I would like to thank our Circularity Accelerator programme partners and Green Building Councils whose shared ambition and collaboration has brought this important resource to fruition. Their innovation and case studies, which form the basis of this report, demonstrate that together we can close material loops in the built environment and drive the transition to a more sustainable future. We hope that the launch of this report will accelerate change within the built environment and demonstrate the urgency to scale sustainable solutions, now, and shape a future and circular economy that we are proud to live in. Cristina Gamboa CEO, World Green Building Council 3
