The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has launched ‘A practical guide to circular procurement for new buildings and major refurbishments’, which aims to provide the property and construction industry with clear steps for embedding circular strategies into procurement practices.
Developed in collaboration with GHD, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water NSW and Department Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation Queensland, Green Industries South Australia, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), the guide aligns with government policy priorities and addresses real-world industry needs.
The guide has been designed for developers, architects, procurement managers and government agencies, with the aim of empowering industry professionals to make informed decisions that minimise waste and pollution, reduce embodied carbon and circulate products at their highest value for longer.
It also aims to inspire industry players to extend the life of buildings by providing strategies, tasks and deliverables at each stage of the building lifecycle while aligning with Green Star Buildings and industry best practice.
“The construction industry is responsible for 40-50% of raw materials globally and of this, it’s estimated that only 30% of materials are currently recycled.
“Procurement decisions we make today shape the sustainability of buildings and cities of the future.”
Davina Rooney, Chief Executive, GBCA
The key focus areas include:
- Understanding the context of circularity in the built environment in Australia and globally.
- Highlighting key circular design strategies across the building lifecycle.
- Delivering brief and contract wording to drive circular procurement outcomes.
- Demonstrating circular procurement in action through case studies.
CEFC emphasised the role of circular procurement in meeting Australia’s net-zero targets and reducing the environmental footprint of the built environment.
“Materials used in construction are a major source of embodied carbon and resource consumption.
“By rethinking the selection and sourcing of construction materials, we can significantly cut waste, lower emissions, and enhance building resilience.”
Michael Di Russo, Head of Property, CEFC
One initiative helping to redefine material tracking and reuse in construction is the Kennett Material Bank, developed by Kennett Builders in partnership with the University of Adelaide and sustainability consultancy dsquared.
The Kennett Material Bank is designed to catalogue and track high-value building products and materials across three residential developments using Building Information Modelling (BIM). By tagging and storing data on key materials, such as steel frames, solar panels, and precast panels, the initiative enables future reuse, reducing both environmental impact and project costs on future projects.
At Uniting on Second Bowden, this approach has been applied to materials designed for disassembly, with precast panels alone valued at $3.7m – 10% of the development’s total value. By integrating circular economy principles from the outset, the initiative highlights the potential for cost and carbon savings over a building’s lifecycle, ensuring materials retain their value for future projects.
GBCA encourages governments, developers, and the broader construction sector to use this guide to embed circular procurement into their projects and accelerate Australia’s transition to a more circular built environment.
This month (March 2025), the GBCA also launched Green Star apartments – a new sustainability rating that independently verifies each apartment within a certified building, with six companies involved to trial Green Star apartments in current projects.
