The built environment drives almost 40% of global raw material use and 38% of energy-related emissions. As operational emissions decline as a result of grid decarbonisation, embodied carbon is on track to be the largest source of emissions in the building sector. Transformation in the built environment is critical to the transition to a circular economy.
With Greater Adelaide expecting 315,000 new homes to be built in the next 25 years, today’s design and construction choices will shape long-term environmental and social outcomes.
Why it matters
A circular built environment reduces the need for virgin materials, reduces waste, cuts embodied carbon and supports climate-resilient communities.
Approaches like adaptive reuse, use of low-carbon materials, designing for longevity, modularity and disassembly, and better planning help lower impacts while meeting housing needs.
Clear guidance and industry collaboration are essential to accelerate South Australia’s transition to a circular, low-emissions future.
Objectives for 2030
- Circular outcomes are supported and enabled by planning and development legislation and policies
- Demand for raw materials is reduced through a reduction in material footprint of the built environment
- Less waste is generated through improving the design of buildings and infrastructure, including designing out waste, and designing for disassembly and reuse, and adaptive reuse of space and materials
- The built environment industry and workforce further develop circular economy knowledge and skills
How we’ll get there
Key actions
- Support, promote and implement circular economy principles in urban planning, infrastructure and development projects.
- Develop guidelines for ‘design of the built environment’ practices and the adoption of sustainable and climate resilient building materials.
- Develop and implement shared approaches and minimum standards between government agencies for lower embodied carbon and sustainable materials in buildings and development sites that are occupied, designed, constructed, and/or sold by the South Australian Government.
- Support national efforts to develop standards and specifications for the use of recycled content in capital works projects.
- Investigate opportunities for:
- increased uptake of sustainable building material components and processes in construction (such as Modern Methods of Construction)
- adaptive reuse and retrofitting of existing building stock
- improved processes during refurbishments to support increased resource recovery and material reuse
- better salvaging and reuse of building materials through deconstruction and disassembly
- the establishment of building material banks to facilitate material reuse
- supply chain engagement to identify circular economy opportunities.
- Establish a cross-government working group to identify and progress government-led actions to support implementation of recommendations in the Circular economy in SA’s built environment Action Plan 2023.
- Provide an appropriate supply of land for waste and resource recovery facilities and other circular industries, including building material banks, by maintaining a rolling 15-year supply of employment land to maximise resource use, support economic growth and service our communities.
- Facilitate coordinated land use and infrastructure planning and decision making by incorporating capacity mapping and forward work plans of state infrastructure agencies and utility providers in the Land Supply Dashboard.
- Work with key industry partners and different tiers of government to develop resources that will inform and foster regenerative approaches to land use planning.
Skills and knowledge
Ensuring future planners, designers and construction professionals understand circularity and embodied carbon will help drive better material choices, design practices and long-term environmental outcomes.
Key action
- Embed circular economy principles into tertiary education courses, vocational education and training and industry training programs to ensure built environment disciplines are considering circularity and embodied carbon/ emissions.
Legislative and policy enablers
SA’s planning system has a key role to play in driving a transition to a circular economy and net zero emissions in the built environment, through urban planning, development approvals, zoning laws and land releases, while meeting the housing and infrastructure needs of current and future South Australians.
The government recognises the intersections between addressing climate change and reducing waste from our building and construction industry by promoting circular economy principles and has committed to exploring how the planning system can advance the circular economy, alongside waste treatment and management policies that consider climate change and urban infill scenarios.
Key actions
- Investigate and identify legislative and/or policy options to support circular outcomes in housing, planning and urban development, including consideration of South Australian planning instruments.
- Consider embedding circular economy principles, provisions and measures in South Australian planning instruments to support the SA government’s commitment to transition to a circular economy.
- Investigate opportunities to provide flexible planning polices to encourage and enable adaptive reuse of existing buildings, in particular heritage places, to create vibrant communities and liveable places.
Learn more about Focus area 6: Build a circular built environment.
