Australia’s waste[d] Opportunity 2025
CONTEXT
The Australian construction industry, like all others, operates within the country’s linear “take, make, waste” economic model.
WHEN WE ‘MAKE’ WE TEND TO MAKE ‘WASTE’
Contributing a staggering 39% of the nation’s total ‘waste’, our construction industry stands as Australia’s single largest source of ‘waste’*, exposing its outsized impact on the broader economy, society and environment.
Plus, the industry’s upfront embodied carbon – driven by building material use and construction activity – makes up 7% of national emissions, highlighting the need for smarter material use and the integration of circular economy principles to support the built environment’s decarbonisation transition.
On top of this, the Australian Government is beginning to address this waste[d] opportunity.
Enter the National Circular Economy Framework, which has listed the construction industry as a priority sector to contribute to increasing Australia’s material productivity, lowering economic costs, and reducing climate impacts.
