88 In order to account for all inputs, a circular economy approach needs to incorporate the full range of activities needed to close the loop: make, maintain, repair, reuse, recycle, waste, replace. Construction is responsible for well over half of the extraction of virgin resources and contributes to some 60 per cent of total waste streams.1 Applying circular economy principles to structural design can help organisations make strides towards redressing this imbalance. This requires maximising the value of materials while minimising the amount of embodied energy that designs generate. For designers, this means starting with the end point in mind and optimising designs for the life of products while prioritising the reuse of materials. According to an EEA report, ‘Waste prevention in Europe – policies, status and trends of reuse in 2017’, 18 of 33 reviewed waste prevention programmes had explicit objectives for the reuse of products but only 10 per cent included regulatory measures and 8 per cent cited economic instruments.2 INTERNAT IONAL WI SDOM WBCSD Technical and biological recovery cycles Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Circular Transition Indicators 1 Source: The Institution of Structural Engineers, Practical Application of Circular Economy Principles 2 Source: European Environment Agency, Waste Prevention in Europe
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