Circle Forward: The challenges and opportunities of circular construction in Scotland
Scotland’s circular economy challenge is not a lack of ambition. It is a lack of legislative foundation, material reuse infrastructure and early project ownership. These are structural issues the Scottish market needs to address if circularity is to withstand cost and programme pressure on live projects. As part of our Circle Forward campaign, a roundtable held in early August brought together people from across the industry to explore what is holding circular construction back, and where Scotland has the opportunity to build momentum.
Circularity needs to be designed in, not added later
Risk was one of the clearest barriers raised and was a recurring theme. Circularity principles are too often introduced to contractors at the point of tender, without being embedded in the original brief. At that point, reclaimed or refurbished materials can be seen as a risk due to uncertainty around warranties, cost, programme or supply chain reliability. This was framed well by one contractor:
“If it’s not raised until you are appointed, it is too late… by the time you’re getting into contracts, the risks are too high, and no one wants to take them.”
The shift needed is to discuss circularity early and use it to shape the brief, so it is understood and embraced rather than treated as an aspiration that can be value-engineered out at later stages. Cundall’s Edinburgh office fit-out showed what this can look like in practice: circularity was a clear driver from day one, carried through into construction, and delivered with low-carbon outcomes at a lower cost than a typical fit-out.
Policy can turn ambition into delivery
Circular economy is referenced in NPF4, but Scotland does not yet have the same level of clear project deliverables seen in London’s circular economy planning policies. However, any policy response needs to suit the Scottish market rather than simply replicate London. Without clearer legislative foundations, circularity can struggle to remain a priority when projects come under cost or programme pressure. Stronger policy requirements would help create the conditions for circular design intent to be carried through into construction.
Where demolition is proposed, pre-demolition audits should be mandatory to catalogue and assess materials for reuse before they are lost. This would help shift the mindset from seeing materials as waste to recognising them as valuable resources, while supporting the market needed for reuse across the region. However, this geography creates specific challenges. Compared with London, Scotland covers a much larger area with a smaller and more dispersed market, and a smaller supply chain can limit competition and innovation.
Metrics and KPIs were also raised as a way to support implementation, although a single circularity metric is unlikely to work across every project. What matters is defining the right circular economy principles early, whether that is retention, reuse, adaptability, disassembly, material recovery or lower whole life carbon. Each project needs targets that are relevant to its context, constraints and opportunities.
The need for visibility and knowledge sharing
Leadership on circularity exists in parts of the Scottish market, but it is not yet visible, coordinated or consistent enough to shift practice at scale. As a result, successful examples can sit in isolation, with lessons learned not always shared across the wider industry. Greater visibility is needed to connect the circularity already happening across Scotland and turn individual examples into shared knowledge.
One participant felt strongly that:
“Half the problem of visibility is where do you find information, and then what do you do with it?”
This was contrasted with London, where formal and informal networks for material reuse are more established. In Scotland, materials exist, but knowledge and awareness remain siloed. Scotland needs to develop its own way of collating and sharing information on available materials, building on initiatives such as the Stirling Reuse Hub and pilots from Zero Waste Scotland, while accelerating the pace of change.
Material passports, databases and tools such as TRACE can help, but only if the information is trusted and maintained for current and future users. A reused product is not specified simply because it exists; it is specified when there is confidence in its condition, certification and warranty position. Material passports should not just be seen as a tool for today. They are a way to future-proof buildings so future alterations, refurbishments and deconstruction can happen with better information, lower risk and less waste.
From ambition to repeatable practice
Three shifts are needed to move the dial on circularity. First, circularity needs policy backing so it is no longer treated as discretionary. Second, infrastructure is needed, both physical and digital, to share knowledge and give confidence that materials can be reused rather than seen as a risk. Finally, circularity needs clear ownership: a sustainability champion who can shape the brief, maintain momentum and ensure the low-carbon benefits carry through to construction.
The roundtable showed that the appetite is there. What is missing is the system that turns ambition into repeatable practice. Scotland has an opportunity to develop its own circular approach. It can learn from London, but it must adapt that learning to suit a smaller, more dispersed market. The challenge now is to move circularity from something projects aspire to into something they are set up to deliver.
The Circle Forward campaign will continue to build on these conversations through further events across Cundall’s offices. During World Green Building Week, we will return to the Edinburgh office to keep the discussion moving and explore how Scotland can turn circular ambition into practical, repeatable delivery.
