Making the Business Case for Advancing a Low-Carbon, Circular Built Environment

• Watch a recording of this event – access code vu#M8*.L
• Read the summary report
• Held on September 15, 2021
• Organizers: This WCEF2021 Accelerator event was organized by Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), One Planet Network, Government of Finland, and Government of Canada (Natural Resources Canada).

 Description:

Approximately half of all extracted resources globally are used for the built environment, with 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions being attributed to the embodied carbon found in construction materials. By 2025, it is expected that 2.2 billion tonnes of construction waste will be generated around the world (nearly double 2018 levels).

How can we make the business case to advance the circular built environment? What are the policy, investment, and market levers that can support the transition? How do these efforts align with goals for net zero while creating new economic and employment opportunities? This 90-minute session explored answers to the questions above.

This was a public event that was targeted to an audience of building developers and owners, investors, municipal and government leaders, policymakers, private industry, research and development, and technology firms.