An analysis of circular economy adaptation in construction and demolition waste management sector: a systematic literature review and conceptual implementation framework

In recent years, the construction and demolition of buildings, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure have extensively increased worldwide due to rapid population growth and urbanization (Ding et al., 2023). This surge in new infrastructure demand has led to higher production of waste and greater consumption of natural resources, fossil fuels, and energy, causing environmental deterioration and ecosystem imbalance (Tanthanawiwat et al., 2024). Evidence suggests that construction waste accounts for 30–35% of the total solid waste generated annually worldwide, with about 30% of this waste ending up in landfills (Doussoulin and Bittencourt, 2022; Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). Furthermore, solid waste from the construction and demolition sector is increasing more rapidly compared to other sectors (García-Sánchez et al., 2021). This has resulted in expanded landfills, consequently contributing to contamination of drinking water and creating unhealthy environments and societal impacts. To achieve the Net Zero Target 2050, the total global construction and demolition waste (CDW) needs to be significantly reduced each year. In the context of developing countries, especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the total solid waste generated annually is nearly 6.5 million tons (Beeah, 2024). Figure 1 represents the per capita solid waste generation level on an annual basis among 10 different countries.

Numerous factors contribute to global solid waste generation, including population growth, urbanization, industrialization, a disposable culture, technological advancements, insufficient waste management practices, inadequate regulations and enforcement, infrastructure development, and other related activities. According to the World Bank Report 2018, urbanization is one of the major contributors to solid waste generation, with construction and demolition (C&D) being a key contributing sector.

In recent years, the C&D sector has emerged as a key area for job creation, economic growth, innovation, infrastructure development, technological advancements, environmental impact, and social contribution (Doussoulin and Bittencourt, 2022; Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024), the construction and demolition sector employs approximately 220 million people worldwide. The global C&D industry is expected to experience a significant annual growth rate of 0.4% through 2029, creating approximately 3.2 million new jobs by 2029 (Construction Placements, 2024). In the UAE, the C&D sector has become more vibrant due to several government initiatives such as the UAE Circular Economy 2030 Policy, the Net Zero by 2050 agenda, and the UAE Centenary 2017–2050 Plan. Additionally, the C&D sector in the UAE is contributing to economic growth with an annual growth rate of 4.26%, reaching an estimated market size of USD 50.40 billion by 2029 (Global Data, 2024). However, the majority of the construction and demolition industries in the UAE still use traditional approaches for building development. The UAE’s journey towards the Net Zero 2050 target in the C&D sector is particularly challenging due to the limited use of advanced technologies, approaches, and models. There is a need for sustainable approaches or models to reduce waste, optimize resources, and achieve this target.

In the past few decades, several improvement approaches such as Total Quality Management, Lean Construction, and Agile have been applied to address construction and demolition waste management (Kuo and Kuo, 2010; Zaman et al., 2023; Albuquerque et al., 2020). While these approaches have been effective in reducing waste, they have not optimized resources for the long term (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). Additionally, these methods have not adequately addressed social and environmental issues (Luciano et al., 2022). Therefore, it is imperative to explore new approaches to overcome these challenges. The circular economy (CE) approach has been introduced to reduce waste, optimize resources, and minimize social and environmental impacts (Oluleye et al., 2022a, b). By adopting CE principles, C&D industries can meet their targets related to waste reduction, resource optimization, and sustainability improvements. CE is a progressive model of production and consumption that extends a product’s life cycle, reduces waste, and optimizes resources through the incorporation of the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) principles (Flynn et al., 2019). CE replaces traditional linear production and disposal practices with circular practices, enhancing the circularity of materials and components (Oliveira et al., 2021). It moves beyond the end-of-life concept by keeping products in a closed loop, supporting the reduction in consumption of virgin resources (Ghaffar et al., 2020). CE solutions apply the best treatment for waste materials, reducing waste creation, and minimizing waste quantities through enhanced design, material efficiency, and recycling approaches (Ma et al., 2022). Hence, the successful integration of CE principles in the construction and demolition process can effectively reduce waste, optimize resources, and improve sustainability within the C&D sector (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Mahpour, 2018).

However, integrating CE principles into the C&D process is challenging (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). It requires a structured framework to effectively integrate CE concepts, providing construction managers with a step-by-step implementation guide. The literature reveals limited research on CE frameworks or models for CDW management in the C&D sector. Existing studies have not fully explored CE’s potential across its various facets and its applicability to different aspects of C&D remains under-researched (Tanthanawiwat et al., 2024). C&D organizations face challenges in implementing CE due to the lack of a structured framework in the literature (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Tanthanawiwat et al., 2024). Therefore, it is crucial to explore different aspects of CE in the CDWM sector to gain a comprehensive understanding of this approach. Additionally, no systematic literature review has fully explored CE’s different aspects and developed a conceptual framework for CDW management in the C&D sector. This study uniquely contributes by providing a systematic literature review of CE within the C&D sector, exploring its various facets, and proposing a comprehensive structured conceptual framework for an effective CDWM program.

The structure of this article is as follows: Section 2 highlights the research method adopted in this study. A review of different facets of CE in CDWM is explored in Section 3. Section 4 discusses the proposed conceptual framework of CE for CDWM. Section 5 provides a discussion on the findings, including theoretical and practical implications. Section 6 offers conclusions, followed by limitations and directions for future research.

This study adopted widely recognized and extensively preferred methodology “preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis” (PRISMA) to understand and explore different aspects of CE in the CDWM sector. The study identified the need for review and develop the research protocol (Table 1). This research protocol was used to identify and explore various aspects of CE in CDWM and to develop a conceptual framework for CE pertaining to CDWM.

Literature from three popular databases: “Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EBSCO” were searched and extracted for review purpose. These databases were selected due to their comprehensive coverage of peer-reviewed journal articles, and review papers. Additionally, they span a wide range of subject areas, including social science, scientific, engineering, economics, healthcare, science, accounting, management, and others (Marbouh et al., 2023; Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). The databases were sufficient to capture all relevant scientific articles needed to perform an SLR (Sharma et al., 2022; Saradara et al., 2024a, b).

This review included only articles published in English up to 2024, excluding book chapters, conference articles, editorial notes, and conference review papers. The reason for excluding these publication types while focusing solely on peer-reviewed journal articles is the rigorous quality control and validation process they undergo (Marbouh et al., 2023; Saradara et al., 2024a, b). Peer-reviewed journal articles are scrutinized by experts, ensuring higher credibility, scientific rigor, and reliability compared to other types of publications that may not follow as strict a review process (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024).

The keywords used to search for relevant articles were “Circular Economy”, OR “Circularity”, OR “CE”, OR Closed Loop”, OR “Life Cycle Analysis”, AND “Construction and Demolition”, OR “Construction & Demolition”, OR “C&D”, OR “CDW” OR “CDWM” OR “Waste Management”. The initial search identified 879 articles, including literature review papers. The approach to filter and shortlist the relevant articles is presented in Figure 2. To remove duplicate articles, the authors used EndNote software. Screening the articles using inclusion criteria resulted in 655 articles remaining for the next review steps. Further, exclusion of conference papers, book chapters, editorial notes, conference reviews, and article published in language other than English led to 524 remaining articles. Additionally, articles were shortlisted after reading titles, abstracts, and keywords, resulting in 112 articles. Moreover, 10 articles were excluded due to unavailability of the full article or irrelevant content, leaving a final sample of 102 articles to extract knowledge on different facets of CE, which contributed to developing a conceptual framework for successful implementation in the CDWM process.

In this study, the authors conducted a descriptive analysis of selected articles to understand the current state of the art in the field. Primarily, country-wise distribution of articles was explored (Figure 3). The distribution reveals that China (19 articles) has extensively worked on CE adaptation in the CDWM field compared to other countries (Cheng et al., 2023). Australia and Malaysia are also considered highly explored countries with 10 and 5 articles, respectively. Other highlighted countries have fewer than five publications on CE for CDWM. The areas highlighted in red represent countries where CE application in the field has been found; the other countries have not yet explored in this area. Additionally, the year-wise distribution shows an exponential increase in research interest in the field (Figure 4). Furthermore, the journal-wise distribution (Figure 5) indicates that the Journal of Cleaner Production, Resource Conservation and Recycling, and Sustainability have published the highest number of articles than other journals. We removed the names of journals that published a single article to avoid cluttering Figure 5. Besides the descriptive analysis, the authors explored various other facets of CE that directly contribute to developing a conceptual framework for successful implementation in the CDWM process, provided below in the subsections.

Barriers act as obstacles that restrict the effective adoption of any approach or methodology within an organization (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Mahpour, 2018). According to the literature, many organizations in developed countries have adopted CE for effective CDW management. Some organizations in developing countries have also begun CE adoption to meet net-zero targets (Lu et al., 2021a, b). However, many organizations, especially in developing countries, still face significant challenges in effectively adopting CE for CDW management (Soto-Paz et al., 2023). While a few researchers have identified barriers affecting the proper implementation of CE for CDW management, no articles have reported a comprehensive set of barriers (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). Additionally, systematic categorization has not been done to help identify areas for further improvement (Bhavsar et al., 2023).

Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive set of barriers identified through a literature review and categorized based on the insights of multiple experts, including the authors as area specialists, industry practitioners, and academic researchers. The decision to either develop a model or cluster factors based on the input from these practitioners, specialists, and academicians is crucial for ensuring applicability in real industrial environments (Garza-Reyes et al., 2016; Swarnakar and Vinodh, 2023). Effective consideration of these barriers can aid organizations in adopting CE and achieving proper CDW management. Furthermore, removing these barriers requires mitigation actions corresponding to each category. This study attempts to provide a list of mitigation actions corresponding to each category of barriers. The list of barriers is provided in Table 2, and the discussion on mitigation actions is provided at the end.

This section outlines the mitigation actions suggested to overcome barriers that restrict the adoption of the CE in the C&D sector. These actions, derived from the literature, aim to promote CE application CDWM. Considering these mitigation actions will help construction managers and other stakeholders implement CE in the C&D sector.

Mitigation Actions for Regulatory and Policy Barriers: To mitigate this category barriers, financial incentives should be introduced for using recycled and circular materials in construction and infrastructure renovation (Luciano et al., 2022). Legal regulations can push stakeholders to use more circular materials (Torgautov et al., 2021). Organizational goals should be redefined based on government policies towards CE adoption for sustainable improvements (Sharma et al., 2022). Governments should introduce mandatory requirements for organizations, such as public procurement standards and certification of circular materials (Luciano et al., 2022).

Mitigation Actions for Economic or Financial Barriers: Boosting CE initiatives can be achieved by providing financial support from government authorities to participating organizations (Luciano et al., 2022). High landfill costs and legal actions against those who support landfill activities can encourage recycling (Ramos et al., 2023a). Minimal or no tax on recycled materials can also motivate stakeholders to use them in their projects (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). Market research and product marketing can further support these initiatives (Ding et al., 2023).

Mitigation Actions for Technology and Infrastructure Barriers: Creating or adopting municipal sites for preliminary storage of CDW materials can address infrastructure-related issues (Ramos et al., 2023a). Providing or reinforcing resources and equipment for effective CDW handling is essential. Advanced technologies such as drones, robotic systems, mobile crushers, material tracking and tracing systems, IoT, and sensors can enhance CDW management (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Luciano et al., 2022). Using recycled materials with high recyclability potential can improve quality and attract customers (Torgautov et al., 2021).

Mitigation Actions for Cultural and Behavioral Barriers: Promoting information and awareness of CE benefits through conferences and awareness camps can help mitigate cultural and behavioral barriers (Ramos et al., 2023a). Social campaigns can change societal mindsets towards CE and enhance demand for recycled materials, ultimately enforcing industry compliance. Enhancing cooperation and communication among stakeholders can improve collaboration (Ding et al., 2023). Quality improvement approaches like Six Sigma or total quality management can improve the quality of recycled products or materials.

Mitigation Actions for Design and Planning Barriers: Integrating CE principles at the design stage supports sustainable material use, such as using standard shapes for repeated use (Torgautov et al., 2021), design for deconstruction methods (Torgautov et al., 2021), BIM design approaches, advanced and modular construction methods, and design for material recovery techniques (Ma et al., 2023). Proper planning for material use and recovery through research can help mitigate these barriers.

Mitigation Actions for Logistic and Operational Barriers: Exploring local suppliers and manufacturers of recycled or bio-based materials can address logistic and operational barriers (Torgautov et al., 2021). Adopting a sustainable supply chain approach can resolve material logistics issues (Ramos et al., 2023a). Utilizing municipal handling sites for CDW collection and storage, reinforcing procedural control for CDW management, and implementing a legal framework for effective handling can also help mitigate these barriers (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024).

Mitigation Actions for Market and Supply Chain Barriers: Building a closed-loop industrial supply chain ensures a consistent supply of quality materials to stakeholders and customers (Ding et al., 2023). Enhancing the market for recycled and reused materials or products is crucial (Ramos et al., 2023a). Higher taxes on mining activities can reduce excessive mining of virgin materials, lowering their availability and making recycled materials more competitive (Luciano et al., 2022). Developing digital procurement systems can also support the use of circular materials and products.

Mitigation Actions for Data and Information Barriers: Developing an integrated blockchain-BIM-Material Passport-based digital material tracing and tracking system can provide comprehensive information about recycled materials (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). Mobile-based data recognition systems can help gather data on CDW generation and composition (Torgautov et al., 2021). Investments from industries and governments in research and development programs to stay updated on best CDW management practices are essential for effective management (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024).

Enablers act as key success factors that facilitate the adoption of initiatives within organizations (Oyedele et al., 2014). CE is a progressive model of production and consumption that effectively extends a product’s life cycle, thereby reducing waste to a minimum (Flynn et al., 2019). Although widely applied globally, CE is still in its early stages of development. Literature reveals that organizations face difficulties in adopting CE practices for managing CDW (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Ma et al., 2020). Therefore, identifying key factors that help managers implement CE easily within their organizations is crucial (Shooshtarian et al., 2022a, b). While some authors have discussed the enablers of CE adoption in CDW management, a comprehensive list of enablers remains to be discovered (Shooshtarian et al., 2023). Moreover, no literature specifically addresses the enablers of CE in the CDW management field.

This study presents a list of enablers derived from a literature review, categorized into nine distinct areas using the same approach discussed earlier for categorizing barriers in Section 3.1. The enablers are outlined in Table 3. Successfully considering these enablers enhances CE adoption in the C&D sector to improve CDW management. Additionally, the adoption of these enablers can encourage and support managers and stakeholders in successfully implementing CE practices to manage CDW effectively.

The tools and techniques are key instruments and methods used to support the transition towards circularity by minimizing waste, optimizing resource use, and extending the product or material end-of-life through reusing, reducing, remanufacturing, and recycling concepts (Rašković et al., 2020; Rahigude et al., 2022). Table 4 provides a list of tools and techniques identified from the literature that can facilitate effective CE adoption in the C&D sector to manage CDW efficiently. These tools and techniques are fundamental for managing and handling CDW in the C&D sector; without them, the success of CE implementation cannot be imagined. They play an essential role in CDW management within the CE framework by enabling managers to adopt circular practices that effectively optimize resources and minimize waste (Kerdlap et al., 2019).

The applications are discussed to understand the nature, behavior, and applicable areas of the tools and techniques, supporting C&D managers in their effective adoption. These tools and techniques also help stakeholders properly handle CDWs for circular management (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). It is identified from Table 4 that Building Information Management and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making tools are extensively applied in the C&D sector to manage CDW compared to other tools and techniques.

The CE approach is highly beneficial for the C&D sector, particularly in terms of effective waste management. It reduces waste, extends the lifecycle of materials, and optimizes resource utilization through its principles (Ghisellini et al., 2018; Purchase et al., 2021). As an emerging and innovative approach, CE enhances the sustainability of infrastructure, improves the end-of-life of materials and products, and manages CDW for sustainable resource use and environmental conservation. It also contributes to societal improvement and enhances the quality of life (Gherman et al., 2023). Additionally, CE offers significant economic benefits by maximizing monetary gains, minimizing resource scarcity, improving resource productivity, and maximizing the use of CDW (Mahpour, 2018).

Understanding and awareness of CE benefits in CDWM motivates stakeholders to adopt CE practices in their organizations (Liu et al., 2021). This extensive knowledge of benefits acts as a critical success factor for achieving successful CE implementation. The identified benefits are categorized from the literature and grouped into the triple bottom line perspectives: economic, social, and environmental (Figure 6). Detailed information about the CE benefits in CDWM is provided in Table 5.

Construction and demolition waste can be managed by adopting various CE strategies, specifically Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These strategies are applicable at different phases of construction and demolition activities, including preconstruction, procurement, construction, use and operation, pre-demolition, demolition, collection and distribution, end-of-life, material recovery, and reproduction stages. Literature acknowledges that these CE strategies can be applied independently or combined at various stages of construction and demolition (Oluleye et al., 2022a, b). The successful adoption of CE strategies results in CDW reduction, improved process efficiency, better utilization of resources, and effective handling and management within the construction and demolition sector (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Ruiz et al., 2020). CE strategies are a crucial parameter of the framework supporting CE implementation in the C&D sector (Sharma et al., 2022). While many authors have discussed CE practices in the context of CDW management, none of have categorized them based on the applicability of 3R principles. Therefore, the identified CE practices from the literature are categorized into Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle principles for better understanding by construction and demolition managers (Table 6).

The CE is a powerful model of resource production and consumption for industrial sectors aimed at reducing waste, minimizing negative economic, social, and environmental impacts, and optimizing resource utilization to enhance sustainability (HaitherAli and Anjali, 2023; Superti et al., 2021). Various models or frameworks developed by authors in the advancement journey of CE, including their objectives, practicality, effectiveness, usability, and limitations, are discussed in Table 7. Some frameworks (Saeed et al., 2023; Ruiz et al., 2020) are applicable either in construction or demolition (Han et al., 2024; Sharma et al., 2022), while others (Herrador, 2024; Nie et al., 2024; Alite et al., 2023) are applicable to both areas.

Certain frameworks (Nie et al., 2024; Jahan et al., 2022) are developed based on different phases of construction and demolition, whereas others utilize sets of policies (Herrador, 2024), practices (Alite et al., 2023), enablers, and barriers (Shooshtarian et al., 2022a, b) to develop models for implementing CE in the C&D sector. Some frameworks (Lu et al., 2021a, b; Han et al., 2024) are developed using analytical or MCDM tools. While some frameworks (HaitherAli and Anjali, 2023) discussed CDW management based on CE principles at various stages, they did not provide structured guidelines for implementation. The majority of CE projects fail due to the unavailability of structured frameworks or a lack of systematic guidelines and implementation procedures. Most existing frameworks are developed for specific products/materials or specific regions or countries, highlighting a lack of a generic framework with structured implementation guidelines for CE adoption in the CDWM field. There is an urgent need to develop a structured conceptual framework that guides the stepwise implementation of CE in the C&D sector for effective management of CDW.

Quality management approaches are widely adopted in the construction sector to minimize the waste of construction and demolition materials (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). While waste reduction can improve economic benefits, it does not fully address social and environmental issues. Additionally, strict government policies and the demand for sustainability compel organizations to shift towards circularity (Gherman et al., 2023). This shift can be achieved by integrating circular economy models into operations, which leads to waste reduction, resource optimization, and improved sustainability (Superti et al., 2021). The adoption of CE requires a structured framework to guide construction managers through a step-by-step process for considering its principles, strategies, tools, and techniques (Yang et al., 2022). Although some authors (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Shooshtarian et al., 2022a, b) have developed CE frameworks for the construction and demolition sector (Refer to Table 7), none have provided a structured conceptual framework for CDW management. Moreover, step-by-step guidelines for implementing the framework are not reported (HaitherAli and Anjali, 2023; Maury-Ramírez et al., 2022; Superti et al., 2021). Therefore, this study proposes a structured conceptual framework for the construction and demolition sector to implement a CE for effective CDW management (Figure 7). The framework was developed using theoretical concepts, CDW management steps from the literature, and expert opinions.

The proposed CE framework for CDW management is built on two design dimensions. First, it incorporates all activities identified in the literature review, including understanding the characteristics, causes, and suitability of existing frameworks, and integrates current, specific knowledge into the conceptual framework. The second design dimension leverages the combined theoretical and industrial knowledge of the authors as specialists, industrial practitioners, and academic researchers. Using insights from this diverse group is essential for ensuring the framework’s successful implementation in real industrial environments (Garza-Reyes et al., 2016; Swarnakar and Vinodh, 2023). The proposed framework systematically guides construction stakeholders through the step-by-step adoption process of CE in the construction and demolition sector to manage CDW effectively. The activities described below in each stage of the construction and demolition value chain can help reduce waste and optimize resources to achieve circularity in CDW management.

• Stage 1: Preconstruction Activities: This stage focuses on the feasibility, planning and design of the construction process. The objective is to assess the feasibility of implementing CE principles within the organization or project, and then systematically plan the infrastructure design to minimize waste and optimize resources use. Before planning, it is essential to understand the barriers and enablers for adopting CE in the sector for effective CDW management (Flynn et al., 2019). Enablers can be easily integrated into the organization with adequate knowledge, while barriers can be mitigated through suggested action plans. Managers should also consider government policies, regulations, and guidelines for CE adoption. A clear understanding of organizational goals and objectives is crucial before initiating the design planning (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). The suggested tools and techniques can help organizations adopt CE strategies, reducing CDW and enhancing circularity within the project.

• Stage 2: Procurement: In this stage, material planning and purchasing are essential activities. This stage involves acquiring goods and services needed for the project, starting with the identification and analysis of needs, selection of vendors, negotiation, and contract signing. The framework, supported by CE strategies, helps in purchasing the right materials at the right time from the right sources, aiming to achieve circularity in CDW management. The suggested tools and techniques, such as Virtual Reality, Supply Chain Management, and Blockchain Technology, can help achieve these CE strategies. For example, Virtual Reality provides visual representation of the bill of quantity for components or materials. Sustainable supply chain management helps manage the procurement of goods or services, while blockchain helps trace and track the availability of recycled materials and components.

• Stage 3: Construction: In this stage, the actual development of infrastructure is based on the planned design and acquired materials from previous stages. Various types of CDW are produced during this stage. This waste can be mitigated by adopting CE strategies such as site waste management plans, on-site recycling facilities, and waste segregation systems. The use of recycled products within the project can act as a success factor for implementing CE in the C&D sector (Oyedele et al., 2014). The suggested tools and techniques, such as 3D printing technology, RFID and Barcode Technology, and vision-based robotic systems, can support effective CDW management. 3D printing technology minimizes waste, time, and resources in the building construction process (Rodrigo et al., 2024). RFID and Barcode Technology assist in the identification of CDW with minimal effort, while vision-based robotic systems help segregate CDW on-site (Rayhan and Bhuiyan, 2024). MFA captures material stock information and flows within the project to establish demand for each product (Rašković et al., 2020).

• Stage 4: Use and Operation: This stage involves the timely repair and maintenance of infrastructure. Using efficient materials and the right processes can reduce long-term maintenance and repair problems. Managers need to focus on previous stages to prevent early repair and maintenance issues. However, timely maintenance and repair activities prevent unplanned collapse or failure (Kovacic et al., 2020). BIM, sensors, and Industry 4.0 tools can help report maintenance and repair activities when required.

• Stage 5: Pre-Demolition (End-of-Life Assessment): This stage focuses on the end-of-life assessment process, requiring a thorough investigation before any infrastructure is demolished. It signifies that the building or infrastructure has reached the end of its useful life, which traditionally results in either demolition or renovation for continued use. This stage is crucial for safety, as it identifies hidden dangers and ensures worker safety during both demolition and renovation. Applying CE principles at this stage is also essential for rethinking the circularity of CDW. The conceptual framework suggests assessing which CE principles, such as reuse, recycling, or recovery, can be applied. It also provides guidance on adaptive reuse through selective deconstruction strategies, promoting circular use of infrastructure without restoring to demolition. Key tools such as Finite Element Modeling and Machine Learning can extract information about reusable materials/components and quantify them for effective management.

• Stage 6: Demolition or Renovation: Demolition or renovation is performed only after the pre-demolition (end-of-life assessment) stage, once a decision has been made to either completely demolish or renovate the building or infrastructure. In cases of demolition, a selective demolition strategy can help minimize social and environmental impacts, enhancing sustainability (Jahan et al., 2022). Materials or components from the selective demolition process can be more easily reused or recycled compared to direct demolition, contributing to material circularity. The other suggested CE strategies in the developed conceptual framework can help implement CE in the organization for effective CDW management. For renovation, strategies such as refurbishing, retrofitting, repurposing, renovating, repairing, restoring, and reutilizing can extend the life of infrastructure based on its current condition. Tools such as vision-based robots, machine learning approaches, image recognition technology, and RFID can aid in properly collecting, sorting, segregating, and recycling activities to manage CDW in projects (Copeland and Bilec, 2020).

• Stage 7: Collection and Distribution: The materials collected and segregated during the previous stage need to be brought to collection and distribution centers for further recycling or distribution for reuse. This stage is crucial as it directly impacts the economy, society, and the environment (Jahan et al., 2022). Proper management of this process can minimize problems, such as increased costs and environmental impact from unnecessary or excessive transportation. Delays in CDW collection or improper management may also negatively affect society (Purchase et al., 2021). To address these issues, the framework suggests CE strategies for effective collection and handling of CDW. Additionally, recommended tools and techniques can facilitate the proper execution of these strategies to implement CE in the construction and demolition sector for CDW management.

• Stage 8: Material Circularity: This final stage involves material recovery, reproduction, and recirculation based on decisions made during the end-of-life stage. In this stage, decisions need to be made regarding the reuse, recycling, energy recovery, or landfill of CDW components or materials. Other CE principles, such as repair, refurbishment, and remanufacturing, can also be applied for effective CDW management. Decisions about on-site recycling or off-site recycling (involving other manufacturers) are necessary. Strategies such as partnerships with recycling suppliers, centralized databases for circular materials or components, establishing markets for circular materials, material exchange programs, and storage for recycled materials or components should be adopted for successful CE implementation in the construction and demolition sector. The framework suggests tools and techniques to achieve these strategies and support successful CE implementation in organizations. Adopting the developed conceptual framework systematically can help organizations implement CE effectively, reducing waste, optimizing resources, and improving sustainable benefits in terms of the triple bottom line approach (economic, social, and environmental).

Global waste reduction remains far from the actual targets set by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to make our planet resource-efficient, healthy, and livable by 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2030). In this context, the “Conference of the Parties (COP)” at COP-21 and COP-25 established several novel objectives to advance the Paris Agreement, urging countries to reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and stabilize the climate by 2030. These objectives act as a foundation for achieving Net Zero by 2050. To meet these goals, countries are strategically focusing on these targets and adopting appropriate practices across various sectors. The construction and demolition sector is one of the leading contributors to waste generation (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024). Globally, industrial waste accounts for 30–35% of total solid waste generation annually (Benachio et al., 2020), with about 25% of this waste ending up in landfills, making waste management a critical issue that urgently needs addressing (Doussoulin and Bittencourt, 2022). While developed countries have already started working towards COP21 and COP25 goals, developing nations are still facing challenges due to limited resources, knowledge, and approaches that effectively reduce waste and optimize resources. The CE is a structured model for the construction and demolition (C&D) sector, aimed at managing waste and optimizing resources through the principles of sharing, leasing, reusing, recycling, repairing, and refurbishing existing products or materials in a sustainable manner (Oyedele et al., 2014). Adopting CE in any organization can enhance the circularity of their product or services and improve resource utilization. Despite the numerous benefits of CE adoption, the C&D sector still faces challenges in fully understanding, integrating, and adopting this approach (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Saradara et al., 2024a). The objective of the present study is to provide comprehensive knowledge of various CE aspects within the C&D sector and propose a structured conceptual framework for an effective construction and demolition waste management (CDWM) program. The study identifies and analyzes key elements of CE adoption in the CDWM, offering insights that can facilitate easier execution of these practices. A descriptive analysis (country-wise, year-wise, and publication outlet-wise) of relevant articles was conducted to assess the current state of the art in this field. The analysis revealed that “China” leads in CE adoption in CDWM (Cheng et al., 2023). However, the successful implementation of the CE model in China remains unclear, indicating the need to further explore CE adoption and its comparative benefits in both past and present contexts. Additionally, the review shows a significant increase in research interest over the past seven years, with high publication rates in journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production, Resource Conservation and Recycling, and Sustainability, indicating these journals as key outlets force-related research.

Further analysis of CE literature suggests that the C&D sector faces several challenges in implementing CE effectively, due to barriers related to infrastructure, resource, technology, data availability, market dynamics, policy frameworks, and cultural factors (Herrador, 2024; Lim et al., 2024; Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024; Ramos et al., 2023a; Kabirifar et al., 2023). Few articles address the barriers to CE adoption in real environments (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024), and none provide comprehensive mitigation actions to overcome these barriers. The present study offers a list of barriers affecting CE adoption, along with a comprehensive set of mitigation actions to help construction managers address these hurdles before execution. It has been observed that financial, infrastructure, and technology-related barriers are crucial factors affecting successful CE implementation in the C&D sector (Zaman et al., 2023). “Regulatory and policy barriers” can be mitigated by introducing financial incentives (Luciano et al., 2022), creating legal regulations (Torgautov et al., 2021), redefining organizational goals based on government policies (Sharma et al., 2022), and introducing mandatory requirements (Luciano et al., 2022). “Economic or financial barriers” can be addressed by providing financial support from government authorities (Luciano et al., 2022), increasing the cost of illegal landfills and taking legal action against delinquents (Ramos et al., 2023a), reducing or eliminating taxes on recycled materials (Swarnakar and Khalfan, 2024), and developing markets for recycled products (Ding et al., 2023). “Technology and infrastructure-related barriers” can be overcome by utilizing municipal sites for CDW storage (Ramos et al., 2023a), reinforcing required resources, and adopting advanced technologies such as drones, robotic systems, mobile crushers, material tracking and tracing systems, IoT, and sensors (Torgautov et al., 2021).

To effectively facilitate new approaches within an organization, enablers are the key success factors that make organizations ready to adopt these changes (Ma et al., 2023). Limited studies have reported the CE enablers for CDW management in the construction and demolition sector, and a comprehensive list is still not available (Shooshtarian et al., 2023). Additionally, no literature specifically addresses the categorization process of these enablers; however, only few authors have categorized these enablers according to different areas (Shooshtarian et al., 2022a, b). In this study, the authors provided a comprehensive list of CE enablers and categorized them into nine different areas. The outcome observed that “regulatory and policy” and “economic” category enablers are considered the most critical for executing CE in CDW management (Kurniawan et al., 2022; Salmenperä et al., 2021). Furthermore, a structured review of tools and techniques of CE reported in existing studies has been carried out to understand their application and actual use in CDW management. The success of CE implementation cannot be imagined without these tools and techniques, as they are fundamental for managing and handling CDW in the C&D sector (Kerdlap et al., 2019). The review identified that “Building Information Management” and “Multi-Criteria Decision-Making tools” are extensively applied in the C&D sector to manage CDW compared to other tools and techniques. However, the application of Finite Element Modeling, Multi-sensor Fusion Methods, Boundary-aware Transformer Model, and Balanced Scorecard Approach is not well explored (Sharma et al., 2022; Dong et al., 2022; Torgautov et al., 2022). Therefore, exploring all the tools and techniques of CE in a real environment is needed for better adoption and effective CDW management. Additionally, understanding the sustainable benefits of CE has been a focus of research, as increased awareness of these benefits in CDWM field motivates stakeholders to adopt CE practices for optimizing resources in more sustainable way (Liu et al., 2021). Moreover, CE strategies have been reviewed and categorized from the 3R-principal perspective to explore their applicability at different phases of construction and demolition stages. Literature reports that CE strategies can be applied independently or combined at various stages of construction and demolition (Oluleye et al., 2022a, b). It is identified that CE strategies are a crucial parameter of the framework supporting CE implementation in the C&D sector (Sharma et al., 2022).

Previous studies have proposed some frameworks in the relevant field, with some specific to construction (Saeed et al., 2023; Ruiz et al., 2020) or demolition (Han et al., 2024; Sharma et al., 2022), while others pertain to the combined construction and demolition (Herrador, 2024; Nie et al., 2024; Alite et al., 2023; HaitherAli and Anjali, 2023; RİGİLLO et al., 2022; Shooshtarian et al., 2022a, b; Maury-Ramírez et al., 2022; Superti et al., 2021; Lu et al., 2021a, b). These proposed frameworks have some shortcomings, such as being applicable to a specific country or material, focusing on a single stage or specific problem, and lacking structured guidelines for construction managers for real-world adoption. Therefore, the present study developed a structured conceptual framework integrated with a set of barriers, mitigation actions, enablers, CE strategies, and tools and techniques to effective implement CE in CDW management. The developed conceptual framework aims to effectively reduce CDW, efficiently optimize resources, and achieve circularity through integrated barriers, mitigation actions, enablers, CE strategies, and tools and techniques. Finally, it has been identified that CE is still a novel paradigm for the C&D sector, presenting many opportunities for researchers, practitioners, decision-makers, contractors, and other stakeholders to explore CE approaches in CDW management areas.

This study offers both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, it explores various facets of the CE, such as barriers and mitigation actions, enablers, benefits, tools and techniques, strategies, existing frameworks, and the current state of the art in the field. By providing a comprehensive knowledge base, the study guides potential researchers in the field of CE in CDW management and allied areas to understand the different aspects of the circular approach. This understanding will help researchers and academicians conduct future research to make products and materials more circular and environmentally friendly through systematic CDW reduction and resource optimization. Moreover, the study outlines mitigation actions to overcome barriers in CE implementation, helping construction and demolition managers, contractors, and practitioners in identifying and addressing loopholes in the existing system. The outcome of this study aligns with the CE theories, particularly “systems thinking”, which emphasizes understanding the components necessary to develop a system or model/framework and the interconnections between them. Thus, the study not only discusses the process of developing a framework but also explores the essential components of CE needed for framework development.

Our proposed framework is grounded in systems thinking, facilitating product lifecycle management and material flow in a circular economy through eight different CDWM stages. The findings also align with other CE theories such as “Cradle to Cradle”, “Industrial Ecology”, and “Shared Value”. The framework provides tools, techniques, and strategies based on the “Cradle to Cradle” concept, which aims for fully recyclable or composable materials at the end of their life cycle. In line with Michael Porter and Mark Karmer’s “Shared Value” theory, the framework addresses social and environmental challenges to generate economic value. Furthermore, the proposed framework follows “Industrial Ecology” theory in optimizing materials and flowing energy, reducing C&D waste, and promoting circularity by integrating CE principles. Practically, the study facilitates the implementation of CE within organizations by providing an understanding of tools, techniques, and strategies applicable at different stages of CE projects. The outcomes will lead to waste reduction, resource optimization, and sustainable development. These findings will help construction and demolition practitioners meet their UN sustainable goals and COP21 and COP25 targets through the systematic adoption of CE applications for effective CDW management. The developed conceptual framework for CE in CDW management offers comprehensive guidelines for researchers, covering stages from preconstruction to end-of-life, including materials recovery, reproduction, and recirculation. This framework will make the C&D sector more sustainable by adopting circular approaches to reduce waste and optimize resources, ultimately providing sustainable benefits from a triple bottom line perspective.

This study is unique as it provides a comprehensive knowledge base and the current state of the art of CE applications across various contexts, including country, year, publication outlets, enablers, barriers, mitigation actions, benefits, tools and techniques, strategies, and more. It has been observed that CE is a structured production and consumption model that aims to reduce waste, optimize resources, support sustainability, and deliver environmentally friendly circular products or components. This study explores existing frameworks of CE in the C&D sector, focusing on their key objectives, practicality, effectiveness, usability, and limitations. The findings reveal that China has extensively worked on CE projects, followed by Australia and Malaysia in the CDW management field. Additionally, an exponential increase in researchers' interest in the CE approach has been observed since 2017. Journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production, Resource Conservation and Recycling, and Sustainability have published the highest number of articles in this area. Most existing CE frameworks are applicable to specific countries or materials, focusing on a single stage or specific problem, and lacking structured guidelines for construction managers for real-world adoption. Therefore, a structured conceptual framework has been proposed to adopt CE in the construction and demolition sector for effective CDW management. The proposed framework encourages policymakers to design new policies or modify existing ones to help construction managers and practitioners effectively deploy CE in CDW management projects. This framework also aims to enhance circularity in the C&D sector, contributing to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals and COP21 and COP25 objectives. This study is distinctive as it comprehensively highlights all the elements needed to adopt CE in the C&D sector for effective CDW management. Given the current pressure on the C&D sector to meet COP21 and COP25 targets for reducing waste and optimizing resources to achieve Net Zero by 2050, this study provides construction managers with a structured roadmap to achieve their organizational targets regarding circularity and Net Zero. It offers a structured conceptual framework for construction practitioners, providing stepwise guidelines, strategies, and tools and techniques to address construction and demolition waste, as well as economic, social, and environmental issues, without exceeding C&D sector waste management plan boundaries.

This research is limited to exploring CE studies in the context of various dimensions such as country-wise, year-wise, publication outlet-wise, enablers, barriers, mitigation actions, benefits, tools, techniques, strategies, and existing frameworks. While the study provides a list of barriers and enablers, future research could apply structural modeling approaches to understand the interrelations between these factors. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis of tools, techniques, benefits, and strategies can be conducted using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches to identify and prioritize their importance. Since the framework was developed based on theoretical concepts, CDW management steps from the literature, and insights from a small group of experts, its validation and applicability in real environment could be further tested in the future through interviews with a larger group of industry experts. Practitioners can also assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed conceptual framework through case studies in construction and demolition organizations for CDW management. Researchers and practitioners might consider integrating the Industry 5.0 concept within the framework in the future to evaluate its potential for improved circularity and sustainable performance in the C&D sector.

Funding: This publication is based upon work supported by Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under Award No. FSU-2023-007.