Kaziwe Kaulule, managing director of Holcim UK’s aggregates and CDM divisions, explains how further embracing circularity in construction is an essential step towards making sustainable building practices the industry standard
As our latest annual Circularity Survey shows, the industry is no longer just discussing the potential of circular construction. Increasingly, it is setting targets, embedding them into business strategies and looking for ways to overcome the barriers that have historically slowed progress.
In the UK, reaching the government’s legally binding target to achieve net zero by 2050 will be impossible without transforming how we design, source and build. Circularity – the reuse and recycling of materials – is critical to that transformation. By keeping materials in use for longer, we can significantly cut emissions, conserve finite raw materials and reduce waste going to landfill.
Beyond the environmental benefits, circularity makes practical business sense. Reusing materials and reducing waste disposal brings down costs, while responding to growing demand from customers who are actively seeking more sustainable products. Our survey reveals just how rapidly this mindset is taking hold.
A significant shift
For the survey, we polled 500 decision makers from across the UK’s construction industry. The findings were striking. An overwhelming 97% of respondents believe that embracing the circular economy at their organisation is important, compared with 79% in 2024 – a remarkable shift in just 12 months. This significant increase reflects the targets construction professionals are setting around circularity.
Equally encouraging is the fact that more businesses are putting specific circularity targets in place across all areas of their operations – a rise from 21% to 57% over the past year – an increase of 36 percentage points. Circularity is fast becoming a strategic priority, not just an aspiration.
However, our research highlighted the obstacles that hold the industry back. A third of respondents (34%) cited the higher costs involved in disassembling and processing materials as their biggest challenge. Almost as many (29%) pointed to the complexity of implementing circular practices across multiple projects and supply chains.
Ongoing labour shortages are also a concern, with 26% of respondents identifying a lack of specialist skills as a significant barrier to adopting products made from postconsumer
or industrial waste.
Buying better
One particularly interesting insight from the survey is the growing role circularity plays in procurement decisions. 94% of respondents said that the availability of circular products now influences their choice of supplier, up from 73% last year. More than half (53%) consider access to circular solutions to be “very important”, compared with just 28% a year ago. This shows that sustainability is no longer a secondary consideration in purchasing decisions – it is rapidly becoming a decisive factor.
Also significant is the willingness of buyers to invest in sustainable products. Despite concerns about the costs associated with recycling and reuse on site, a growing number of those surveyed are showing a willingness to pay more for products and services with strong circularity credentials. This represents a fundamental shift in market behaviour and suggests that the demand for low-carbon, circular solutions is robust and growing.
A defining chapter for UK construction
We see these findings as confirmation that our focus on closed-loop supply chains is the right approach. We have invested heavily in developing products that incorporate recycled materials without compromising on quality or performance. We have set ourselves the goal of increasing the share of recycled materials in our products to 20% by 2030.
The UK construction industry is entering a defining moment, balancing the drive for increased output with the urgent need to achieve sustainability goals. Driven by our clear purpose of leading the way in circular construction, we are working hand-in-hand with partners across the value chain to remove barriers, accelerate progress, and make sustainable building practices the industry standard.
The progress revealed in our Circularity Survey demonstrates that momentum is building. Organisations are setting targets, suppliers are innovating and customers are willing to support change. Yet ambition alone will not be enough. We must ensure that circularity moves from being an aspiration to becoming standard practice.
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