Integrating circular economy into sustainable construction: research trends and gaps identified

Integrating Circular Economy (CE) concepts into Sustainable Construction (SC) in the recent past years has become an important area of research and application. This bibliometric analysis aimed to detect important trends, notable papers, and hot topics in the area and provide an overview of the way CE concepts have been employed regarding SC. Systematized data from published Scopus database documents was mined. A total of 348 documents published in 183 different sources were retrieved by PRISMA guidelines assessed in Biblioshiny and integrated into the RStudio environment. Results showed that studies on the CE in construction have gained momentum since 2017 to support the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals. Most of the focus was on resource productivity and waste minimization. However, the incorporation of the socioeconomic effects on the community was limited. Progress has been made in technology, but the application is still slow, especially in the developing world, where improper practices are still common. Inequalities in the geographical distribution of research reveal cooperation's importance in narrowing the gap between developed and developing countries. Although key organizations in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have advanced CE research, the academia-industry gap persists. By examining the keywords and themes, a gap between the general sustainability objectives, practical technical measures, and limited and disconnected cross-disciplinary integration and knowledge is identified. The study recommends collaboration between businesses, academic institutions, and governments to integrate CE principles into practice and address the challenges for implementation.