Editorial: Circular economy and sustainable practices in the built environment

Buildings and infrastructure underpin productivity, connectivity and quality of life. Yet the built environment remains one of the most resource-intensive and environmentally impactful sectors globally. It accounts for substantial shares of material extraction, energy consumption and waste generation (Cervantes Puma et al., 2024). Despite decades of sustainability discourse, policy reform and technological advancement, the sector operates largely under linear production and delivery models that constrain resource efficiency, lifecycle optimisation and long-term value creation (Moore and Manring, 2009; Söderholm, 2020). Consequently, the transformative potential of sustainability initiatives has yet to be fully realised at an industry scale.In the built environment, circular economy (CE) strategies take multiple forms, such as design for disassembly and adaptability, modular and prefabricated construction, refurbishment and lifecycle extension, reverse logistics and digital material passports (Kasarda et al., 2007; Palacios-Munoz et al., 2019). These approaches seek not only to reduce waste but also to retain and regenerate value in materials, components and systems over time.However, operationalising CE principles in construction remains complex. Built assets are long-lived, capital-intensive and embedded within fragmented supply chains and complex regulatory environments. Material specification and procurement decisions are often made at early design stages, whereas recovery, reuse or repurposing decisions may arise decades later. Bridging these temporal and organisational discontinuities requires robust information continuity, clearly defined accountability structures and business models that incentivise lifecycle thinking (Cloutier and Ravasi, 2020).Circularity is therefore not merely a technical endeavour but also a managerial and governance challenge. Its success depends on alignment among stakeholders, supportive regulatory instruments and the development of appropriate professional competencies. Understanding how circular strategies can be embedded within project environments, scaled across asset portfolios and institutionalised within industry practice represents a focal area of research for the engineering, construction and architectural management community (Foster, 2020).While CE offers a structured approach to resource management, sustainability in the built environment includes broader environmental, economic and social considerations. Sustainable practice spans low-carbon material selection, energy-efficient and climate-responsive design and resilient infrastructure planning towards performance-based facility management (Liang et al., 2022; Salah et al., 2018).Lifecycle assessment, performance monitoring systems and sustainability metrics have enhanced the industry's capacity to quantify environmental impacts and inform decision-making. Nevertheless, effective implementation also relies on organisational capability, professional expertise and alignment between sustainability objectives and project delivery models (Chen et al., 2024; Gomes Silva et al., 2022). The critical challenge lies not merely in developing analytical tools but in embedding sustainability considerations within routine managerial decision-making, procurement processes and professional practice.Rapid advances in digital technologies are changing the conditions under which circular and sustainable practices can be implemented. Digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoTs), artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics are increasingly deployed to enhance transparency, traceability and evidence-based decision-making across asset lifecycles (Chen et al., 2022).Digital infrastructures enable more precise material tracking, real-time performance monitoring, predictive maintenance and scenario-based lifecycle evaluation. They offer mechanisms to reduce fragmentation among project stakeholders and to strengthen information continuity across traditionally siloed phases of delivery and operation (Gupta et al., 2023). In principle, such capabilities provide critical enablers for both CE implementation and sustainability optimisation. However, the contribution of digital technologies to circular and sustainable outcomes is contingent upon their effective integration within organisational processes, contractual arrangements and governance frameworks. Digital capability alone is insufficient; systemic alignment and institutional adaptation are equally critical.Against this backdrop, this Special Issue brings together a set of contributions that advance understanding of CE and sustainability in the built environment through an integrated lens. The nine papers, while diverse in scope, converge around four interrelated themes spanning the technological, organisational and institutional dimensions of circular and sustainable transformation.Across these four themes, a consistent insight emerges: while technological innovation is essential, it is insufficient on its own. Advancing circular and sustainable construction requires the integration of digital capabilities, governance structures, organisational competencies and lifecycle thinking into a coherent system of practice.