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Strategies for a Circular Economy in the Construction and Demolition Sector: Identifying the Factors Affecting the Recommendation of Recycled Concrete

Author

Listed:
  • Valeria Superti

    (Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • Cynthia Houmani

    (Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • Ralph Hansmann

    (Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
    Transdisciplinarity Lab (TdLab), Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS), ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Ivo Baur

    (Canton of Glarus, Agricultural Department, Zwinglistrasse 6, 8750 Glarus, Switzerland)

  • Claudia R. Binder

    (Laboratory on Human-Environment Relations in Urban Systems (HERUS), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland)

Abstract

With increasing urbanisation, new approaches such as the Circular Economy (CE) are needed to reduce resource consumption. In Switzerland, Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste accounts for the largest portion of waste (84%). Beyond limiting the depletion of primary resources, implementing recycling strategies for C&D waste (such as using recycled aggregates to produce recycled concrete (RC)), can also decrease the amount of landfilled C&D waste. The use of RC still faces adoption barriers. In this research, we examined the factors driving the adoption of recycled products for a CE in the C&D sector by focusing on RC for structural applications. We developed a behavioural framework to understand the determinants of architects’ decisions to recommend RC. We collected and analysed survey data from 727 respondents. The analyses focused on architects’ a priori beliefs about RC, behavioural factors affecting their recommendations of RC, and project-specific contextual factors that might play a role in the recommendation of RC. Our results show that the factors that mainly facilitate the recommendation of RC by architects are: a senior position, a high level of RC knowledge and of the Minergie label, beliefs about the reduced environmental impact of RC, as well as favourable prescriptive social norms expressed by clients and other architects. We emphasise the importance of a holistic theoretical framework in approaching decision-making processes related to the adoption of innovation, and the importance of the agency of each involved actor for a transition towards a circular construction sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Valeria Superti & Cynthia Houmani & Ralph Hansmann & Ivo Baur & Claudia R. Binder, 2021. "Strategies for a Circular Economy in the Construction and Demolition Sector: Identifying the Factors Affecting the Recommendation of Recycled Concrete," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-32, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:8:p:4113-:d:531590
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Zhenwen Hu & Zhe Kong & Guisheng Cai & Qiuyi Li & Yuanxin Guo & Dunlei Su & Junzhe Liu & Shidong Zheng, 2021. "Study of the Properties of Full Component Recycled Dry-Mixed Masonry Mortar and Concrete Prepared from Construction Solid Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Zyoud, Shaher & Zyoud, Ahed H., 2025. "Circular buildings in focus: A comprehensive analysis of knowledge trends, priorities, and insights through performance and visualization analysis," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 4(5).
    4. Moses Itanola & Martin Tuuli & Ambrose Dodoo & Maria Di Gregorio & Felix Quarcoo & Chiara Piccardo & Zulfikar Adamu & Bahriye Jones, 2026. "Mapping Circular Economy Strategies in the Construction Sector: Impact, Solutions and Gaps," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 6(2), pages 1-30, April.
    5. Yang Yu & Peihan Wang & Zexin Yu & Gongbing Yue & Liang Wang & Yuanxin Guo & Qiuyi Li, 2021. "Study on the Effect of Recycled Coarse Aggregate on the Shrinkage Performance of Green Recycled Concrete," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Manoj Kumar Mishra & Chetan Sharma & Shamneesh Sharma & Sunil Kumar & Arun Lal Srivastav, 2025. "Exploring Antecedents, Consequences, Research Constituents and Future Directions of Circular Economy: A Predictive Analysis in the Preview of Text Mining," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 9568-9602, June.

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