Across the globe, there is no industry that consumes more material natural resources than construction, and Canada’s sector is one of the worst offenders.
One of the most material-intensive economies, Canada uses just six per cent of recycled materials in its construction projects. What’s more, the country’s building industry generates a significant amount of carbon emissions and waste, producing over four million tonnes of solid waste annually—enough to fill around 640 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
As environmental tolls escalate and natural resources dwindle and grow pricier, Canada’s construction industry is being asked to innovate – especially to meet the country’s rising housing and infrastructure demands.
In response, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) enlisted Ivey Professor and Innovation North founder, Tima Bansal, to help tackle the critical issue. The outcome? A groundbreaking report that delivers tangible solutions rooted in one powerful concept: circularity.
The blueprints to a Circular Built Environment
With a three-decade track record in sustainability education, Bansal is well-versed in both the challenges and opportunities that the business sector faces in embracing sustainable practices. Therefore, when the CSA Group required effective strategies to guide the building industry toward a circular model, Bansal, and Ivey’s research-practice initiative, Innovation North, emerged as the ideal partners.
“What distinguishes the CSA Group is their proactive stance,” said Bansal. “For this project, they didn't just want an industry overview; they sought a detailed action strategy to mobilize Canada's built environment toward circularity.'"
However, to mobilize a Circular Built Environment, Bansal first had to clarify the term, which even industry insiders often find confusing.
“One of the first barriers we came across in our study was that many industry professionals were completely unfamiliar with the term ‘circularity,’” said Bansal. “Yet, encouragingly, we found that many were already actioning at least some circular principles within their roles – they just didn’t know it.”
Unlike our current linear economy, which follows a create-use-waste pattern, a circular economy seeks to eliminate waste by continuously using and reusing resources. To effectively implement circularity in the built environment, three essential strategies are required:
- Embrace Second-hand: Shift from virgin materials to reused ones and ensure all building material waste is repurposed instead of landfilled;
- Preserve History: Rather than demolishing buildings that are no longer fit for their original purpose, find new uses for them; and
- Futureproofing the Asset: Focus on selecting durable materials and employing construction methods that ensure buildings withstand the test of time.
“We think about the built environment as something that is replaceable. We build, we renovate, we demolish, and we start again. It’s the North American mindset,” said Bansal. “In Europe, they build structures to last. Instead of creating something with a 50-year lifespan, they build for 150 years.”
Building a future that pays back
While transitioning to a Circular Built Environment offers many clear sustainable benefits, including reduced waste and lower carbon emissions, it also creates significant opportunities for business innovation and sustainable growth.
Of note, Bansal highlights that the process of reusing materials will allow us to build buildings more affordably, without compromising their integrity. Furthermore, a circular approach would involve the incorporation of more modular and adaptable structures. This means that as our needs change, we can simply repurpose and readapt buildings to meet their greatest need—a strategy that Bansal believes will be instrumental in addressing Canada’s growing affordable housing issue.
“By implementing circular practices, like modular and prefab models, and reusing old buildings, we could actually solve Canada’s affordable housing crisis,” said Bansal.
The barriers in building better
With significant benefits for businesses, individuals, and the environment, the shift to a Circular Built Environment seems like a natural progression – a true “no-brainer.” Yet, in addition to some initial confusion around the term, Bansal has identified two major barriers to this transition.
Firstly, the building industry consists of numerous independent yet interconnected stakeholders, each with their own goals, budgets, and perspectives. The phrase "too many cooks in the kitchen" aptly describes the situation, with a wide range of participants—including owners, developers, construction companies, architects, engineers, material providers, government bodies, the CSA Group, and educational institutions—all operating independently, yet concurrently. This complexity makes consensus and system-wide change difficult to implement, especially without established standards in place to enable effective communication.
Secondly, although there is broad agreement on prioritizing sustainability within the industry, the emphasis on keeping costs low still reigns supreme. Bansal points out, “Virgin resources are still the cheapest available.” She emphasizes that until reused materials gain broader acceptance and become more common, virgin materials will remain the most economical choice, providing a quality assurance that recycled resources currently lack.
Three concrete steps to “nailing” circularity
Faced with substantial obstacles within a highly complex system, it might seem that transitioning to a Circular Built Environment demands monumental efforts. However, Bansal's report suggests starting with smaller, manageable changes.
She said: “Often, we perceive system change as a large, forceful push against established norms. Yet, sometimes, all it takes to prompt systems change is lifting minor frictions and experimenting with something new.”
With this perspective, to effectively transition to a Circular Built Environment, Bansal and her team have outlined three repeatable steps:
- Remove Frictions: Given their central role in construction, builders are often expected to lead change. However, they frequently face immobilizing obstacles and frictions. To enable progress, external stakeholders, like governments and standards organizations, must step in to remove these barriers, including restrictive standard requirements;
- Pilot and Innovate: With certain obstacles removed, it becomes crucial to encourage and implement pilot projects. These initiatives should be incentivized to explore innovative approaches in a real-world setting; and
- Celebrate, Reflect, and Repeat: After these projects achieve their goals, it’s critical to celebrate their successes, extract valuable insights, and use them to refine and repeat the process. This cycle of learning and adapting is essential for continual improvement and scaling up successful practices.
While these three steps may appear straightforward on their own, Bansal emphasizes that the true power lies in diligently applying and consistently repeating them. Systemic change, much like any revolution, starts gradually – one step and one person at a time
“All we need to get the ball rolling is that one architect or that one engineer that says I want to build this a little differently…,” said Bansal.
A groundbreaking opportunity
With Bansal’s report complete, the CSA Group advances to the action stage of its transition to circularity plan. Although this phase might encounter initial resistance, Bansal believes that circularity is inevitable – especially as we look to the future.
She said: “Our tomorrow will see increasingly frequent and severe climate events, affecting both existing structures and the resources needed for new construction. To prepare, we must adopt a new building philosophy centred on resiliency, responsibility, and circularity.”
Recognizing the broad implications of these changes, Bansal emphasizes that while industry professionals play a critical role, it is essential for all Canadians to actively engage with and evaluate the buildings in which they live, work, and play."
“Take a hard look at these buildings, and don’t hesitate to ask questions,” Bansal advises. “Challenge your building owners, developers, and workers about the materials they use. There are many cost-efficient, sustainable options available; it just takes more voices calling for change to make a real impact.”
Want to "drill down" deeper into Canada's transition to a Circular Built Environment? Innovation North’s complete report can be found in the CSA Group’s Standards Research statement – The Circular Built Environment in Canada: A Review of the Current State, Gaps, and Opportunities.
