IGPN - International Green Purchasing Network

June 4, 2025

Accelerating Circularity in the Built Environment-From measurement to policy and practice: Key Takeaways from WCEF2025 Accelerator Session

As part of the World Circular Economy Forum 2025, a dynamic Accelerator Session brought together global stakeholders to explore how measurement, policy, and practice can collectively drive the transition to a circular built environment. The session focused on aligning efforts to implement circularity strategies to achieve the goals of a near-zero emission and resilient built environment, anchored by this powerful opening statement:" We are not just building for today—we're harvesting the future. Our built environment should serve as a bank of materials and resources for future generations."

Part I: National level policy development supporting circularity in the built environment.
The session began with two key announcements: Actions Menu of the Global Framework for Action, developed in alignment with the Buildings Breakthrough Priority Action 2 on Demand Creation, the One Planet Network at UNEP introduced an Actions Menu for integrating sustainable and circular public procurement into construction value chains. This tool provides actionable guidance for governments and industry to create demand for circular, low-emission building solutions.

National Circularity Assessment Framework for Buildings, developed by UNEP, UNOPS, and UN-Habitat with support from the Government of Finland, this is the first comprehensive national-level framework to measure circularity in the built environment. Pilot applications in Senegal and Bangladesh offer key insights into data availability, reuse potential, and material flow baselines.

Part II: Solutions for implementing circularity in the built environment–From policy to practice
The second half spotlighted practical applications and tools:10 Whole Life Cycle Recommendations for the Buildings Breakthrough, a set of practical recommendations supported by a global case study platform that helps policymakers identify scalable, replicable solutions. Featured case studies during the session. Circularity Transition Indicators for Buildings, developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, is a tool that supports circularity measurement at the building level, offering project developers a structured approach to assess performance across life cycle stages.UN-Habitat’s CiCoSa Toolkit and Implementation guide, targeting Sub-Saharan Africa, the toolkit enables circular construction waste management with localized, scalable solutions, highlighting the role of inclusive, regionally grounded interventions.

Diverse Global Voices at both panel discussions emphasized: Retrofitting is a cost-effective, high-impact strategy to extend building life, reduce operational emissions, and minimize construction waste; Local circular practices already exist (such as inclusive brickmaking from recycled materials) but need clear regulation, quality assurance, and data access to scale;Circularity begins at the design stage, from national urban planning to building components. Key design principles include flexibility, redundancy, reuse, and disassembly, supported by recycled and renewable materials; The need for localized R&D on cost-effective and efficient use of upcycled materials; The importance of context-specific metrics, youth inclusion, and extended producer responsibility were also emphasized.

This Accelerator Session highlighted the urgent need and growing momentum, for embedding circularity in the built environment. With new measurement tools, policy frameworks and practical solutions now available, governments and stakeholders have clearer pathways to align and scale up implementation. Circularity is not a distant goal; it is already unfolding in cities and communities around the world. What is needed now is coordination, investment and political will to implement it at scale.

Organizers and Collaborators
This session was co-organized by the GlobalABC Materials Hub Circular Built Environment Working Group (Ministry of the Environment of Finland, RMIT University, and Habitat for Humanity International), the One Planet Network and the Life Cycle Initiative in collaboration with:UNOPS, UN-Habitat, Kenya Green Building Society, French Ministry of Ecological Transition, Ashok B. Lall Architcts, Metro Arquitetos, Habitat for Humanity International, Lalitpur Metropolitan City of Nepal, WBCSD, Government of Chile, Ministry of Environment of Colombia, Asian Development Bank, Municipality of Walvis Bay of Namibia.

More details at UNEP One Planet Network website.

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