Chammout, B and El-Adaway, I H (2025) Circular economy in construction: Decision-making factors and future research avenues. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 151(6): 04025059, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The construction sector is a major consumer of raw materials and a significant contributor to environmental degradation. Circular economy (CE) - an economic and systemic approach aimed at minimizing waste and fostering sustainable resource use - offers a remedy for these impacts. However, CE adoption in construction remains under-researched and limited. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a comprehensive understanding of CE decision-making factors in construction. This paper addresses this research need. First, the authors reviewed 138 journal articles on CE in construction, published between 2015 and 2023, and compiled a comprehensive list of 40 factors influencing CE decision-making. Second, graph theory was employed to evaluate the scientific attention given to the identified factors by calculating degree centrality (DC) metrics. Last, k-means clustering was applied to group the identified factors, considering the comprehensive discussions found in the literature. The graph theory results reveal a strong emphasis on factors related to waste management and recycling, with normalized DC scores of 0.86 and 1 (on a scale of 0 to 1) under theoretical and quantitative investigations, respectively. Conversely, factors related to project lifecycle management, stakeholder engagement, and social responsibility have received significantly less attention, with normalized DC values ranging from 0 to 0.51 under quantitative investigations. These findings are reinforced by the clustering results, which highlight a consistent trend in the literature to collectively and theoretically emphasize factors related to project lifecycle management, collaboration and partnerships, and regulations and policies, with a notable absence of quantitative examinations. Consequently, this study highlights understudied CE decision-making factors, offering a valuable roadmap for future research. Thus, this study contributes to the body of knowledge by promoting a comprehensive understanding of CE-related decision-making factors in construction and outlining pathways to address understudied areas. Ultimately, this will support improved decision-making aimed at enhancing circularity in construction.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | journal, decision-making, collaboration, regulation, waste management, body of knowledge, social responsibility, construction sector, environmental degradation, recycling, partnership, circularity, circular economy, stakeholder engagement, project lifecycle management, investigation, graph theory, clustering |
| Subjects: | knowledge management, waste management, environmental impact, sustainable materials, project completion, research dissemination and communication, sustainable design, health safety and environment, theoretical framing, data science, community and social dimensions, data collection methods, political science, industry analysis, decision analysis, partnership management, management |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Risk Management, Project Management, Health and Safety, Governance, Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Information Management, Organizational Design, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here