Exploring the implementation of Circular Economy in the construction industry : A look at the Swedish construction sector

Abstract: Circular Economy (CE) is a sustainable systematic approach to industrial processes which aimsto replace our linear ‘take, make, waste’ economic model with one where resources are kept in productive useas long as possible,and waste is minimized. As the construction industry is one of the most polluting andleast resource efficient sector, it could greatly benefit from CE. In this qualitative study, to contribute toward the CE in the construction research areawe examined five prominent Swedish construction firms and their ongoing transition to become circular.The research is based on existing literature followed by the analysis of corporate documents and interviews.As our key findings, we identified thatthe adoption of the concept is still in the early stages but has gained pace in the last few years, and it is mainly motivated by societal and regulatory drivers. We found that the sector currently focuses on better resource and waste management, but we also identified unique challenges to conquer. We conclude that tomake CE work in the Swedish construction industry allthe stakeholders in the sector have to work together.