Burden of proof beyond the triple bottom line: Mapping the benefits of circular construction

Circular construction is considered a sustainable construction technique and philosophy to decouple construction activities from the depletion of virgin materials and minimize the enormous environmental impact of the construction industry. Many construction clients and stakeholders have been seduced by the purported benefits of circular construction, often based on expectations and speculations. Unsubstantiated claims about expected benefits subvert the justification and benefits realization process in circular construction projects. Therefore, this study reviewed and mapped the benefits of circular construction. The review identified eighty-six (86) reported, claimed, and speculative benefits of circular construction. The study derived six broad taxonomies of the benefits, comprising environmental benefits, economic benefits, social benefits, business benefits, technological benefits and legislative benefits. Though the findings suggest that circular construction offers benefits beyond the traditional triple bottom line of sustainability, “environmental benefits”, “economic benefits”, and “social benefits” remained the top three cited taxonomies of circular construction benefits. A Pareto analysis revealed fifty-five (55) vital benefits of circular construction, comprising 15 environmental, 13 economic, 10 social, 7 business, 4 technological, and 6 legislative benefits. The study further documented the significant flaws and shortcomings of the existing literature, especially the quantitative benefit studies. Thus, the review findings provide an integrated understanding of the possible benefits of circular construction and documented strategies to reliably quantify and prove the benefits.