EEB | Circular economy measures for the building sector in the 2020s

With CO2 emissions in the energy sector expected to rapidly decrease in the coming years, material production will become the largest climate problem of our economy. The largest share of responsibility lies with the building construction sector: the sector (including material manufacturing, transport, etc.) accounted for 36% of global final energy use and 39% of energy-related CO2 emissions in 2017.

This brief summarises the commitments the European industry has made so far and compares them to some of the potential climate benefits of circular economy policies. It goes on to recommend the introduction of circular economy measures to maximise energy and material efficiency in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, from decarbonisation to zero pollution strategies.