The construction sector generates enormous material flows through renovation, conversion and demolition work. At the same time, secondary raw materials are still underutilised. As a result, potential for environmental relief, regional value creation and resilience remains untapped. This is where the Circular.NiederRhein project comes in: In the city of Duisburg and the districts of Kleve and Wesel, circular practices in the construction and logistics sectors are promoted to accelerate their operational implementation.
The project’s main goal is to efficiently keep raw materials from renovation and demolition work in material cycles – and to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry to integrate circular business models and processes into their operational workflows. To this end, the project team is breaking down barriers such as lacking transparency regarding available materials, uncertainties about economic viability, and questions of logistics and interim storage. In addition, the researchers develop practical tools for SMEs in the construction and logistics sectors, enabling them to implement circular economy solutions in their operations.
The main focus areas of the Circular.NiederRhein project include:
- analysing the regional building stock as a knowledge base
- developing approaches for selective demolition
- evaluating cost and benefit perspectives
- developing digital tools for material flow management
- specifying requirements for logistics and (interim) storage areas.
Practical documentation of the project's findings and approaches for establishing the new processes ensure continuity beyond the project duration.
The Circular.NiederRhein project combines scientific analysis with implementation-oriented development and testing: The project team identifies the regional stakeholders’ needs and translates them into practice-oriented formats. Furthermore, the project team examines digital tracking and monitoring systems as well as evaluation approaches for economic viability and operationalises them for the region. A cross-border exchange of best-practices with the Netherlands improves learning curves and knowledge transfer.
The Wuppertal Institute is responsible for the development and delivery of technical fundamentals and qualification formats, as well as the project-wide evaluation to assess effectiveness and to derive recommendations for transfer and continuation, and contributes to the design of logistics and (interim) storage concepts as a key enabling condition for circular construction processes.
The project is funded under the EFRE/JTF Programme NRW 2021–2027 as part of the "Regio.NRW – Transformation" call.