Information brokerage for circular economy in the construction industry: A systematic literature review

Circular Economy Development in the Construction Sector in Japan

“…Sustainable building and associated approaches demonstrate a move towards achieving sustainable development in the building industry, considering environmental, social, and economic issues [35]. CE is a topical concern in the construction industry, and it has been acknowledged as a way forward for sustainable development [8]. In addition, CE contributes to a more sustainable economy, and CE concepts are well-suited to the building and construction sector in cities [36].…”

“…A sustainable future requires system-based thinking including balanced consideration of society, the environment, and economics [41]. In addition, previous studies have recognized that (1) information-centric CE implementation will lead to the achievement of sustainable development goals in the construction industry [8]; (2) resource recovery, resource-efficient building construction, or CE-related LCA studies on construction and buildings are not often addressed in studies [42]; (3) future research and work should focus on the effective reuse of construction materials and waste-free recycling to promote CE, environmental preservation, and sustainable development [43]; and (4) CE can contribute to more sustainable business models provided that the social dimension (e.g., ethical), ecosystem functioning, and human well-being are all addressed in this context [41]. For example, sustainable construction is one of the best options to reduce the environmental impact of buildings.…”

“…(2) CE in the construction and building sector requires adoption of new methods and comprehensive collaboration between stakeholders and among unconventional partners (e.g., to address cross-sectoral barriers to CE) [9]; (3) the introduction of the CE principle to the building industry can enhance its sustainability performance, and there is need for enhanced stakeholder participation in environmental impact assessments to promote practical applications and to support decision-making [42]; and (4) CE development in the construction industry requires a collaborative network of information brokers to bridge the structural holes (i.e., missing relations between parties) in the construction supply chain [8].…”

“…The circular economy (CE) is designed to be restorative and regenerative and it aims at keeping products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times (technical and biological cycles) including (1) a focus on rethinking value creation and materials and energy use (e.g., due to growing resource pressures and supply chain and price risks); and (2) drivers such as alternative business models, economic losses, structural waste, regulatory trends, technological advances, and degradation of natural systems (due to a linear model) [1]. The overall aim of this study was to explore the characteristics of CE development in the construction sector in Japan based on the perspectives of sectoral organizations on the following themes: (1) sustainable production; (2) climate change, resource and energy use, emissions, waste, and various sustainability concerns [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. There is also a limited number of studies on CE and material efficiency in the Asia region, despite the boom in building construction [10].…”

“…Advancement of CE requires collaboration between public and private sectors, including the role of the public sectors as the creator of a good operating environment to promote CE and the need to establish an institutional system that allows appropriate evaluation of companies and rewarding of their investments based on disclosed circular activities [11]. Japanese governmental approaches to promote CE and circularity have encompassed (1) education for awareness raising; (2) the development of circular trading markets for companies; (3) incentives; (4) public collaboration; (5) the customer-friendly collection of old appliances; (6) recycling laboratories and waste recycling; (7) the design for repair, reuse, and recycling; (8) long-lasting products and the use of recycled materials; (9) renewable sources; (10) recycling fees; (11) sorting and segregation; and (12) legislation and regulations (e.g., related to living and consumption) [14]. CE has not yet penetrated Japanese companies to a great extent in general.…”