We are delighted to be participating in ReLondon’s new project exploring what an appropriate circular economy metric and target could be for incorporating into the planning system and client briefs.
While there is the potential for significant financial benefits from adopting circular models, these benefits may often occur over a longer timeframe than is usually considered or may change the distribution of financial returns across the supply chain differently than in ‘business as usual’. Therefore policy mechanisms can be a useful enabler to provide further incentive for incorporating these ideas.
London has been leading the way with this, since the incorporation of circular economy principles in the London Plan in 2021. This has required the teams delivering the most significant projects across the capital (referrable schemes) to consider at the earliest stages of development how the project will contribution to the vision of a zero waste city and describe this in a document called a Circular Economy Statement (further guidance). This process-based policy has already stimulated a significant increase in the awareness and understanding of the circular economy across the capital. Using a platform like Madaster can help streamline the creation of the data and evidence needed for Circular Economy Statement.
However the current policy and guidance contains very few mandatory metrics, meaning it can be challenging for a local authority to be able to simply assess whether the policy is being delivered against. Some Local Authorities, such as Enfield, have started to explore what metrics could be used, such as the metric proposed in the consultation version of its Local Plan.
To address this challenge, ReLondon, supported by the Ramboll Foundation and Ramboll UK, has a new project to define a circularity metric and target that sits alongside existing design metrics to further circularity outcomes in construction. This work builds on an industry hackathon which took place in 2023 convened by LETI, and ICEC-MCM.
The project will involve:
- Identifying and testing simple circularity metrics on real-life projects
- Evaluating market capabilities through Circular Economy Statement assessments and industry interviews
- Recommending a best in practice metric and target; and
- Disseminating recommendations across London and beyond
The Madaster circularity metric is one of the metrics that will be trialled alongside the metric proposed by Enfield, the LETI thought piece and others.
Madaster is delighted to be able to support this project through our Managing Director, Andrea Charlson sharing her expertise as part of the working group and through making our platform available to the testing group to collate the information from across all the test projects.
ReLondon are looking for projects to take part in the study by simply providing project material data. To find out more see the document below.
To discuss how Madaster could help you embed circularity into your projects and deliver against the London Plan, get in touch.
