Scalable Circular Supply Chain for the Built Environment
Project Overview
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector employs over two million people in the United Kingdom but generates more waste than all other industries combined, largely due to a lack of material usage tracking across building lifecycles. This project demonstrates how the built environment industry can utilise a digital platform to harness the benefits of a sustainable circular supply chain, supporting the transition towards net-zero goals. The research focuses on developing a blockchain-based digital platform incorporating material passports that enable circular economy practices by tracking the provenance, condition, and reuse potential of construction materials throughout their lifecycle. Key outcomes include a multi-layered blockchain architecture that balances local organisational autonomy with end-to-end provenance tracking, and a material and service passport concept for systematically assessing the circularity potential of building components.
An industry-developed roadmap identifies incentive mechanisms for circular supply chain adoption across the construction sector. The project brings together academic researchers with major industry partners including SERO, ARUP, DXC Technology, HS2 Limited, and Resilience Partners Limited, ensuring that the platform design reflects practical construction industry requirements.
Funded by EPSRC under the Sustainable Digital Society programme from 2021 to 2024, the research contributes IoT and data-driven approaches to enabling material traceability and resource efficiency. By addressing one of the most resource-intensive sectors of the economy, the project supports the broader transition towards circular economy practices and net-zero targets within the built environment industry.
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