Circularity in the Built Environment: Maximizing CO2 Abatement and Business Opportunities

The World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company collaborated to write the white paper Circularity in the Built Environment: Maximizing CO2 Abatement and Business Opportunities, which highlights the urgent need for climate action. The transition to a circular economy is emphasized in the study, which also shows how creative business models, technology, and redesigned designs can dramatically cut waste, conserve resources, and create new economic value.

This white paper serves as a call to action for leaders in the public and private sectors by providing options for a sustainable transition in the built environment that are in line with global development goals and address the pressing problem of CO2 abatement.

Roughly 26 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are caused by the built environment. Population growth and rapid urbanization may put additional strain on the environment. There is, nevertheless, a chance to change from the ways that we currently consume and produce to a more circular, sustainable model.

By 2050, the study projects significant CO2 reductions and economic gains and evaluates the effects of circular methods on six essential construction materials: cement, steel, aluminum, plastics, glass, and gypsum. It emphasizes how crucial "lighthouses," or trailblazing initiatives, are to proving the viability and scalability of circularity.

Click to reach the technical document.