Understanding The Concept Of Circular Economy In The Construction Sector

For many years, the construction industry has been operating according to the principle of a linear economy with products used and then discarded as waste. Significant price rise, increased instability in global commodity markets and harmful by-products have led to a re-examination of such an economy in terms of raw material and energy consumption. Circular Economy is a new economic model that seeks to separate economic growth and development from the consumption of limited resources. In the construction sector, the transition from a linear to a circular economy requires a focus on complex and systematic thinking about the sustainability and use of renewable materials, taking into account the life span and the value chain of a building. Circular economy is based on the principle of circulation of materials in the process of using and preventing the generation of new, unnecessary waste through activities that "restore" the properties of materials that remain in use. The aim of this paper is to examine the knowledge and application of the concept of circular economy in the construction sector of the Republic of Croatia on the basis of the existing frameworks both at the European and national levels and to identify the indicators of circularity. To this end, a survey was conducted using a questionnaire showing that employees in construction companies, primarily in the building construction sector, are still insufficiently familiar with the concept of circular economy. However, the survey pointed to the circularity indicators in construction that may be important for defining future frameworks, guidelines, and business strategies of construction companies in the context of the circular economy.