A Traceability Framework to Enable Circularity in the Built Environment

Abstract

The transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) has been receiving an increasing amount of attention in the built asset industry. One of the key aspects of CE is traceability, which can enable the identification and tracking of materials, products, and their associated value throughout their entire lifecycle. However, achieving traceability has been challenging in the built asset industry due to the complex nature of construction projects and a lack of awareness about the benefits of traceability in achieving the circularity of building products and materials. Despite recent studies and efforts, a limited number of frameworks or guidelines exist to support traceability in the built asset industry. In many cases, several of the existing traceability standards, strategies, and guidelines must be identified and framed to support development and implementation of theories and models applicable within the built asset domain. This paper proposes a traceability framework consisting of five key components covering: the main purposes of traceability enabling CE principles, the role of traceability across asset lifecycle stages, the type of data needed to support traceability, the value of collaboration and coordination among industry stakeholders, and key enablers and drivers of traceability from technological and organizational perspectives. The proposed framework developed in this paper contributes to the effort aimed at framing the knowledge domain of CE through the traceability of products and materials in the built environment.