CirCon4Climate

In the Czech Republic (CZ), Poland (PL) and Slovenia (SL), most waste from the construction industry is not recycled but disposed of in landfill sites. However, up to 70 per cent of demolition waste from the construction industry can be recycled. The European Framework Directive points the way forward. Construction waste should be managed and utilised in an ecologically sound manner.

The general objective of the project (https://www.euki.de/en/euki-projects/circon4climate/) is to stimulate and improve circular processes and practices in the construction sector of the partner countries CZ, PL and SL with the help of proven recycling examples from Germany (Best Circular Construction Practices) in order to minimise waste streams, promote recycling and thus save resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the aim is to achieve the following:

• strengthen the adoption of circular procurement,
• raising awareness and influencing key construction stakeholders in favour of the use of recycled materials,
• increasing the recycling of materials, including differentiated collection,
• creating the conditions for the development of regional material cadastres (MC).

Central contributions of the IOER are to provide an overview of best recycling practices in Germany (DE) and to support the introduction of regional material cadastres, on the basis of which circular business practices can be established.

Recycling practices

The study on best circular construction practices in DE provides important information on recycling technologies and practices of mineral construction waste. Other relevant construction material groups, such as wood construction materials and insulation materials, are also considered. It also introduces applicable legal regulations and frameworks (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10304259).

Material cadastre

With the help of regional MC, the materiality of the built environment can be mapped according to material types and quantities as well as spatially differentiated. Bot-tom-up material flow analysis approaches and process chain analyses form the methodological basis. Both are combined in order to advance circular development concepts and strategies while taking spatial contexts into account.