Towards the Circular Economy: Improving Construction and Demolition Waste Management Through Stakeholder Engagement

The increasing urgency to transition towards circular economy (CE) thinking highlights the necessity of improving construction and demolition waste (CDW) management practices. This could be achieved by fostering a waste-free culture within the construction industry with effective stakeholder engagement (SE) by improving relationships between relevant project stakeholders. Thus, this chapter investigates the application of SE in implementing CE principles to improve CDW management in construction projects. To achieve this aim, a literature review was conducted. The findings highlight SE’s importance in establishing and reinforcing a waste-free culture, while demonstrating how SE can lead to a successful transition to CE application in CDW management. Furthermore, the findings reveal that implementing CE practices in CDW management requires the collaboration between various stakeholders and SE is critical in promoting this implementation. Engaging stakeholders can help to build trust and social capital between actors, identify potential barriers to CE implementation and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of CDW management. By engaging with stakeholders and raising awareness of the benefits of circular approaches, a shared understanding of the importance of waste reduction and resource efficiency can be achieved through innovative solutions in the construction industry. Despite challenges in implementing CE thinking in CDW management (e.g., lack of awareness and understanding of CE principles and their relevance to CDW management, conflicts of interest and industry fragmentation), SE can be enhanced through opportunities for collaboration, digital technology adoption and supportive policy interventions. These findings can assist construction professionals to improve CDW management by applying SE to construction projects.