International event brings together experts on the circular economy in the construction sector

Today, much construction and demolition waste (CDW) is not considered to have value and often ends up in landfills. The move to a circular economy (the reuse, repair, renovation and recycling of) emerges as a model to reduce this negative environmental impact of the construction sector by minimising the use of natural resources and making the most of this waste. 

Nationally in Colombia, the generation of CDW is approximately 22 million tonnes, of which 30% is disposed of in illegal sites and its use is estimated at only 2%.

In particular, the city of Cali generates more than one million tonnes of CDW each year, ranking third among the country's biggest cities.

Professor Ruby Mejía, leader of the Composite Materials Research Group (GMC) at the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad del Valle, explains that the GMC focused recently on the development of value-added products from CDW, such as recycled aggregates, bricks, blocks, pavers, tiles, decorative elements, and other construction materials, applying various conventional and non-conventional technologies.

To strengthen circular economy initiatives nationally and internationally, Professor Mejía and collaborators of the Ibero-American Science and Technology Network CYTED, specifically members of the Circular Economy Network as a Strategy for a More Sustainable Construction Industry (ECoEICo) have successfully held the event in Cali entitled "Jornada de Economía Circular para una Industria de la Construcción más Sostenible - hacia una sinergia de gobernanza, industria y academia en torno al aprovechamiento de RCD," on 24 May 2023.

"We had speakers from Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Colombia with representatives from academia, private companies and government," Professor Mejía said, adding that the event featured 18 guest speakers with a large virtual and face-to-face audience.

Photo: Professor Ruby Mejia, head of the Composite Materials Group. Credit: Alexander Bejarano/NCC-FI/Univalle

The Event

The speakers explained that there are several opportunities in the sector, such as reducing the extraction of natural resources, promoting the reuse of materials and improving energy efficiency.

"There are countries that have established technical standards for CDM, but there is a lack of projects, and our goal is to connect partners from different countries," Professor Mejía said. 

There are challenges that hinder the implementation of the Circular Economy, such as the lack of economic incentives for industries that adopt it, the need to raise awareness and train professionals in the sector in the handling and management of CDW, and regulations that specify and validate the use of CDW in construction processes.

"We must take new steps towards broader standardisation," Professor Mejía said, adding that the first standards emerged in 2021 and are limited to the use of recycled coarse aggregates in concretes.

"It is imperative to achieve synergy between the different actors involved, the generator and manager of CDW, the government, academia and associations, and the community at large," Professor Mejía said.

The presentations covered topics with participation from the academic sector, including "Construction at the end of the world where sustainability is mandatory" presented by Cristina Engel de Alvarez from the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Brazil; "Buildings as material banks - BAMB2020 PROJECT", presented by Luís Bragança from the University of Minho, Portugal.

From the research sector, there were speakers from the CEMA Foundation and TECNALIA (Spain).

Speakers from the industrial sector spoke about successful cases studies: Cristhian David Acevedo Sanchez, manager and founding partner of Maecol SAS spoke about "The circular economy around RCD in Valle de Cauca - from the University to entrepreneurship"; other participants were the managers of Granulados Reciclados de Colombia (GRECO-ARGOS) and REGENERA (CEMEX).

Read more from Univalle’s school of Material Engineering: Trash To Treasure: How Materials Engineers In Cali, Colombia Built Better Building Materials

Photo: Professor Luís Manuel Bragança de Miranda e Lopes. Credit: NCC-FI/Univalle

International Partners

Luís Manuel Bragança de Miranda e Lopes, Professor of Sustainable Construction in the Department of Civil Engineering at the School of Engineering of the Universidade do Minho in Portugal and director of the International PhD Programme in Sustainable Built Environment, is coordinator of the Ibero-American Network ECoEICo and was a co-organiser of the event.

Professor Bragança explained that the event held in Cali played an important role in the dissemination of good practices and innovative solutions in the implementation of the Circular Economy in the built environment, contributing to the advancement of knowledge of the circular economy in the construction sector, both in Colombia and in the Ibero-American space. 

"In addition, the event also facilitated the strengthening of the ECoEICo network specialists' own knowledge by providing a space for the exchange of knowledge and experiences between professionals from different countries," Professor Bragança said, adding that international collaboration will be key in the future. 

"The benefits of this event include the creation of new partnerships and collaborations, the interest shown by all in accessing funding through joint projects and the opportunity to increase the visibility and recognition of the participating experts," Professor Bragança said.

If you are interested in contacting the researcher or learning more about the project, please write to the Communications Office Faculty of Engineering: comunicaingenieria(at)correounivalle.edu.co

Cover photo: Organising team and some of the guest speakers of "Towards a synergy of governance, industry and academia around the use of CDW". Credit: NCC-FI/Univalle NCC-FI/Univalle