Management insights for reuse of materials in a circular built environment

Abstract

India, being a developing economy, has ensured a significant contribution of the gross domestic product for the development of the infrastructure. This growth in infrastructural development has fostered social and economic development across the nation. However, the increasing number of construction projects lay a huge stress on the availability of raw materials. Also, the wastes generated during construction, as well as at the end-of-life of infrastructural projects and buildings, are usually disposed of in landfills or on open earth without treatment, thereby causing pollution. The idea of circular economy (CE) is known as a sustainable approach for the efficient use of resources across different sectors. CE encompasses the facets of the repair, maintenance, refurbishment, reuse and recycle. This research article, using exploratory survey research, is to analyse the factors which act as determinants for the reuse of construction materials in the Indian subcontinent. The respondents for the survey include academia, practitioners, industry experts and policymakers. The research categorizes the identified factors into eight dimensions: economic, environmental, social, technical, infrastructural, legal, behavioural and temporal factors. The research further gives a framework for determinants of reuse of construction materials based on the different life cycle stages of construction. Finally, based on this research, the article develops policy suggestions for promoting the reuse of construction materials.