At a time when the urgency of climate change calls for a profound reconsideration of industrial practices, the construction sector is emerging as a key player. The transition to a circular economy is emerging as a promising way to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Explore with us the implications of this transition, its challenges and the initiatives shaping the future of more sustainable construction.
Global and French context
The circular economy is emerging as an essential lever for significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the construction sector. A recent report drawn up in collaboration between McKinsey & Company and the World Economic Forum highlights the possibility of a 75%, or 4 gigatonne, reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 through the adoption of circular practices.
The construction sector, which currently accounts for a third of the world’s material consumption and contributes 26% of global carbon dioxide emissions, is at a crossroads in the fight against climate change. Paradoxically, this industry employs 7% of the world’s population and contributes 13% to global economic output.
In France, according to the Haut-Conseil pour le climat, the building sector generated 18% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, placing it behind transport, agriculture and industry. Faced with this challenge, the players in the field have a crucial role to play. With this in mind, Thiébault Clément, R&D Director at Bouygues Construction, shares his vision and his group’s commitments.
Bouygues Construction commitments
« In particular, the Group is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. Our ambition is to design and build impact-neutral buildings. To achieve this, we need to think about how we can promote a more sustainable, more circular economy. Beyond that, the thinking is broader, from the economy of functionality to the use of buildings. Because citizens’ needs are changing, and teleworking is on the rise, we need to think about the city of the future while taking climate change into account. « confided Mr. Clément to Marcelle Média.
He also stresses the importance of adapting to extreme weather events, such as storms, floods and heatwaves, by integrating these challenges into the company’s research projects.
Bouygues Construction R&D has established fruitful collaborations with academic partners such as CIFE, Stanford University Research Center, ESTP Paris, Cambridge University and ETH Zürich. These partnerships, focusing on digital twins and the circular economy, are expanding research horizons and exploring new avenues for sustainability in the construction sector.
The company won a call for projects to create ScaleOne, an innovation center designed to test solutions for the construction sites of the future. This initiative aims to bring together all industry players, including architects, suppliers and start-ups, to collectively transform the construction industry. Strategic and economic issues are also at the heart of the discussions, with a particular emphasis on the rehabilitation of buildings to preserve unsealed areas.
At the same time, Bouygues Construction is developing low-carbon alternatives in construction, including alternative concretes and increased use of bio-sourced materials such as wood, straw and hemp. These steps are part of a desire to change habits, although it takes time.
Strategic and Economic Challenges
Despite these advances, the construction sector currently produces 46 million tonnes of waste every year, of which only 1% is reused. Thiébault Clément acknowledges the delay in using recycled materials, citing normative and logistical barriers.
Through research projects, academic partnerships, innovative initiatives and concrete commitments, Bouygues Construction is demonstrating its determination to play a leading role in the transition to more sustainable and circular construction, thereby contributing to a significant reduction in the sector’s CO2 emissions by 2050. This path to sustainability requires a necessary, collective and lasting transformation, with growing awareness among the general public and close cooperation between the various players in the industry.
It is with this circular economy, in mind that CircularPlace has developed a marketplacewhich allows you to sell your equipment, goods and unsold non-food items between professionals, and puts you in touch with voluntary organisations to recover your products.
You can also opt for a white label solution that will allow your company to circularize your equipment internally and to engage your employees around ecological themes.
Don’t throw away any more, opt for the second hand!
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