Circulair construction
The circular economy is a way to reduce the global consumption of raw materials and reduce waste production. It thus contributes to the integrated sustainability task we are facing: preventing climate change, loss of biodiversity and overburdening our planet. This calls for a change to our current systems, which are currently based on a linear economy. This may have a number of consequences for the construction sector including more and better reuse of construction -materials, -products and -elements and a different approach to the production, tendering for, design and implementation of construction projects.
Platform CB’23
The need to change has become clear to many people. The answers to the questions of how to jointly achieve this change and what it will take are not yet clear, since we are still in the initial stages of this transition. What is clear, however, is that this change requires a package of unambiguous agreements to anchor circular thinking and actions in daily construction practice.
Platform CB’23 (Circular Construction 2023) is committed to drafting some or all of these agreements for the entire Dutch construction sector: both residential and non-residential construction and civil engineering. Teams consisting of professionals from different parts of the Dutch construction sector, have laid a solid basis for circular agreements on important circular topics. At this stage, they essentially are working agreements, laid down in guides, rather than formal standards.
Guides
In working towards a circular construction economy, Platform CB'23 sees the need for unambiguous agreements on - for the time being - seven interconnected main topics, as shown in the image below. The Circular Construction Lexicon serves as the starting points for this. The necessary transformation of the supply chain, i.e. the underlying procedural change that is needed, is the other connecting factor.
The guides 'Measuring circularity in the construction sector' and 'Passports for the construction sector' have been drawn up for the topics Measuring Circularity and Information & Data. 
Downloads
Platform CB'23 launched a lexicon about circulair construction and two guides about Measuring circularity and about Passports for the construction sector. Download them here:
- Lexicon Circulair Construction 2.0
Working effectively on circular construction calls for an unambiguous terminology. This lexicon consists of a list of terms and definitions to ensure a common language in the transition to a circular construction sector. - Guide Measuring circularity in the construction sector 3.0
This guide is intended as a step towards a core method for measuring circularity in the construction sector. Such a method measures the degree of circularity, e.g. of a construction product, a building or a public work. - Guide Passports for the construction sector 3.0
In the construction sector, passports are considered to be important means to achieving a more circular construction sector, as they promote reuse at the material, product, element and building levels. This guide is intended as a step towards the standardization of passports for the construction sector.
Platform CB'23 also created guidelines about Circular design, Circular tendering and Future re-use. Because of the specific Dutch situation, these quidelines are not translated.