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Infrastructure and the Circular Economy

Circular infrastructure is essential to decarbonisation

Infrastructure is responsible for more than 79% of global greenhouse gases and consumes 60% of the world’s materials. Infrastructure has an important role to play in the move to decarbonisation and sustainability.

The GI Hub is calling for more circular infrastructure, because sustainable infrastructure solutions that focus only on renewable energy and energy efficiency leave unaddressed almost half of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Circular infrastructure is infrastructure that: 

  • Enables circular economy activity (e.g. enables re-use, recycling, or recovery of waste), and/or
  • Minimises the amount of material used across the infrastructure lifecycle or value chain.

How to advance circular infrastructure

The GI Hub’s work on circular infrastructure will help you create more circular infrastructure in your areas of influence, complementing other green and circular infrastructure approaches to help decarbonise infrastructure.

We’re engaged in ongoing research and are publishing resources that support governments and the private sector to adopt circular economy approaches in infrastructure. We have also formed the Circular Economy in Infrastructure (CEI) Action Group to work collaboratively to advance circular infrastructure. Some of this work is undertaken as part of our support of the G20 infrastructure agenda.

Circular thought piece

Learn about The Role of Infrastructure in the Circular Economy in this short and accessible thought piece.

View the thought piece

Circular Workshop

Watch our workshop on circular infrastructure with the G20 Infrastructure Working Group.


Watch the video

Circular Communique

Build your knowledge with our roadmap, Advancing the Circular Economy Through Infrastructure, welcomed by G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.

View the roadmap

Squaring the Circle - New from the World Bank

The World Bank has published its most comprehensive report to date examining the need for a circular economy and highlighting lessons from the EU's pursuing the circular economy agenda, the the GI Hub was pleased to provide advice and collaboration on the report. Its lessons can benefit countries within and beyond Europe’s borders.

Get Involved

The GI Hub works collaboratively with the infrastructure sector and government on issues affecting infrastructure, and your participation in our research and initiatives is valuable. We invite you to participate in our circular economy work:

  • Contribute your examples of circular infrastructure for inclusion in our library. We are collating global best practice to advance the conversation and inform our future work. Examples can be submitted here.
  • Consider getting involved with the CEI Action Group.
  • Review other global initiatives to identify more ways to participate in a circular economy in infrastructure.

What will be the turning point for a circular economy?

Despite its critical importance, the circular economy has been slow to take off in infrastructure. We asked industry experts what they believe the turning point will be for a circular economy. Their answers inspire action.

Dr Nicolas Swetchine - Lafarge Holcim
Felix Gonzalez Yague - ACCIONA
Monica Bennett - Global Infrastructure Hub
Jonas Byström - European Investment Bank (EIB)
Vivek Pathak - International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Devni Acharya - Arup
Seth Tan - Infrastructure Asia
Steven Schonberger - World Bank Group
Heinz Schandl - CSIRO

Watch: ‘Infrastructure and the Circular Economy’, a workshop with the G20

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The GI Hub and G20 Infrastructure Working Group brought together experts in the circular economy and in infrastructure to identify synergies that will enable the infrastructure sector to create more circular infrastructure. See the experts included and watch the video.

Watch

The GI Hub and G20 Infrastructure Working Group brought together experts in the circular economy and in infrastructure to identify synergies that will enable the infrastructure sector to create more circular infrastructure. See the experts included and watch the video.

Watch
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