Construction must make reuse the default, not the exception




 

The construction industry must move towards treating the reuse of materials as a standard part of development rather than an exception, as pressure grows to reduce both costs and carbon, according to a leading expert in materials innovation.

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Danielle Dawson, Innovation Manager at Holcim UK, said the continued loss of valuable materials through demolition reflects a wider misalignment between how value is defined and how it is captured in practice.

Speaking on the latest episode of Holcim UK’s The Material Mix podcast, Dawson said: “We are still discarding materials that have already been processed, transported and built into place. That points to a gap between how value is defined and how it is captured in practice.”

“If reuse is to become standard, the construction industry will need to look beyond individual materials and consider how value is retained across the lifecycle of a building.”

Construction continues to generate substantial volumes of waste – around one third of total UK waste by volume – despite much of the material remaining structurally sound and carbon-intensive to produce.

Dr Helen Fairclough, Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield, and panellist on the podcast, said the value embedded within existing buildings is often under-recognised in decision-making: “There is significant value in the materials within our buildings, and that value can be maintained over the lifecycle of those assets. The question is how we design and manage buildings so that materials retain their usefulness beyond a single use.”

Concrete, aggregates, and structural components often outlast the purpose for which they were first installed yet are routinely treated as residual material at the point of demolition.

This inefficiency is coming under increasing scrutiny. The government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 87% from 1990 levels by 2040 is placing greater weight on how materials are sourced, used and reused. At the same time, cost pressures are encouraging developers to reconsider the value lost through demolition and rebuild.

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Kim Gault, Principal Sustainability Consultant at Cundall, said the shift towards circularity was already well understood, but progress remained uneven: “The urgency is not new, but it is still not fully reflected in how the industry operates. Policy is not always as responsive as it needs to be, and updates can lag behind where the market is moving. In practice, much of the change is being driven by clients, particularly through ESG requirements.”

A circular approach reframes that calculation. Buildings are assessed for what can be retained before they are cleared, with materials recovered and redeployed where possible. Design is beginning to take account of how structures might be adapted over time, rather than replaced outright.

Elements of this shift are already visible. Recycled aggregates and reclaimed materials are widely used, supported by improvements in processing and consistency.

Dawson said that concerns around performance were no longer the primary barrier: “Questions around quality have largely been addressed. Technology has moved on, and we are producing materials from recycled sources that meet the same standards as traditional products. In many cases, we can make a high-quality product from what was previously treated as waste.

“The challenge is that it does not always align neatly with carbon. Recycled materials can involve additional processing and transport, which can increase embodied emissions in the short term. That is where a broader shift in mindset is needed, so decisions are taken on a whole-life basis rather than at a single point in time.”

Policy has begun to reflect this shift in thinking. In London, major developments are required to submit Circular Economy Statements, encouraging earlier consideration of material use and reuse. However, approaches remain inconsistent, and standards vary across the sector and local authority regions.

Holcim UK has previously backed calls for mandatory verification and third-party certification within circular procurement frameworks, arguing that clearer standards would help distinguish credible approaches and support wider adoption.

Dawson said progress would depend on aligning how the industry approaches materials across the supply chain: “We have to make this happen. The capability is already there, but the system has not yet caught up. Education is a big part of that. This is not a niche issue; it is becoming central to how the industry operates.

“Once that understanding is more widely shared, reuse and recovery will not sit alongside construction as an alternative. They will increasingly define how projects are delivered.”

Structural barriers continue to limit progress. Materials that could be reused are often classified as waste, restricting how they can be stored, transported and redeployed. Infrastructure remains uneven, and buildings are frequently designed for immediate use rather than long-term adaptation.

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Dr Fairclough added that delivery remains complex in practice: “The challenge is often at project level. What materials are already on site, what is available nearby, and how do we make that work as a system. That requires better information, and greater confidence among those making decisions who are not necessarily specialists.”

Where these constraints are addressed, the benefits are beginning to emerge. Across the UK, existing structures are being repurposed for new uses, retaining material value while responding to changing demands.

Dawson added: “The most net zero building is the one that is still standing. The priority has to be extending the life of what we already have. Where demolition does happen, the question is how we embed reuse as a standard part of the process.

“This will continue to improve. The technology is developing, the quality is there, and the opportunity is clear. The issue now is how quickly the industry chooses to act on it.”

The direction of travel is clear; a construction model that reduces reliance on extraction and makes better use of existing materials aligns with economic pressure and policy ambition. The question is how quickly that shift becomes embedded in standard practice.

These themes are explored in Holcim UK’s latest episode of The Material Mix, Building it Twice, which examines how circular thinking is beginning to influence decisions across design, policy and construction.