Role of Construction Material Transport for Achieving a Circular Economy in the Construction Industry: a Systematic Literature Review

Construction transport is a significant construction activity contributing to resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In the last decade, the concept of circular economy in the construction industry has gained momentum, which aims to eliminate waste and shift from take, make, consume, and dispose to grow, make, use, and restore. As per the author's knowledge, there is limited to no understanding of the impact of the circular economy on transporting construction materials and, therefore, emissions. This lack of understanding is significant as it hinders the industry's ability to [specific implications]. The article presents a systematic literature review of the circular economy in the construction industry with a focus on the transport of building materials. Using a five-step screening method, 41 relevant articles are selected for review. These are classified into two categories: Outcome/Impact-based & Approach-based. These were further classified as Outcome/Impact-based, which is carbon emissions/greenhouse gas emissions; waste management; and Approach-based, which is sustainability and green buildings, construction logistics and supply chain management, and transportation infrastructure. The review shows a growing interest in the research on circular economy in the building industry. However, there is a lack of holistic understanding of the impact of the circular economy on construction material transport in the construction industry. In the end, a discussion of the outcome/impact and approach-based studies and their findings is conducted, and the article concludes with identifying knowledge gaps and potential research opportunities in the respective research themes, seeking the attention of scholars, policy and decision-makers which will help in a holistic integration of circular economy in the construction industry.