Bello, A. O. (2026) Towards achieving circular economy in the Nigerian construction industry: Policymakers perspectives and conceptual framework development. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 15(3), pp. 1391-1411. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose – The construction industry faces significant challenges in managing waste and resource inefficiency, contributing to environmental degradation and unsustainable practices. Despite the potential of circular economy (CE) practices to address these issues, there is limited understanding and inadequate policy support for their effective implementation. This study investigates the perspectives of policymakers on achieving CE in the Nigerian construction industry. Specifically, this study examines policymakers' understanding of CE, key influencing policies, the challenges encountered in implementing CE practices and how policies can support the transition to CE. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts a qualitative approach to explore the perspectives of policymakers towards achieving CE in the Nigerian construction industry. About 50 participants were purposively selected to participate in this study to provide comprehensive data for the study. Saturation was attained on the 34th participants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key themes and insights. Findings – This study identified significant gaps and challenges hindering policymakers' effective implementation of CE practices. The challenges include financial constraints, resistance to change, inadequate regulatory frameworks, lack of infrastructure, skill gaps and weak enforcement mechanisms. Recommendations for improvement include financial incentives, updated building codes, enhanced enforcement, mandatory education and training programmes and increased collaboration between government, industry and academia. A conceptual framework was developed to promote the implementation of CE in the construction industry. Originality/value – This study is the first to examine the perspectives of policymakers on CE in the Nigerian construction industry, offering unique insights and practical recommendations. The conceptual framework adds a structured approach to implementing CE practices, contributing to the limited research on CE in developing countries and providing a robust foundation for future studies to expand the scope and employ quantitative methods to measure the impact of CE practices.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | circular economy; environmental policy; policymakers; regulatory frameworks; stakeholder engagement; sustainable development goals |
| Index terms: | qualitative approach, circular economy, environmental degradation, construction industry, implementation, enforcement, education and training, future study, academia, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development goal, face, programme, financial incentive, developing country, building code, conceptual framework, environmental policy, methodology, collaboration, thematic analysis, quantitative method |
| Subjects: | data analysis and analytics, community and social dimensions, research design and methodology, industry analysis, regulatory law, educational institutions, project controls, methods and analysis, management, economic analysis, contractual arrangements, public policy, psychology, environmental impact, professional education, development economics, health safety and environment, sustainable design, research methods, theoretical framing |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Business Strategy, Governance, Stakeholder Management, International Construction, Time Control, Organizational Design, Health and Safety, Procurement, Sustainability, Legal Issues, Education |
| 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