Integration of Circular Economy Principles: Impact on Project Quality Assurance in Construction Industry of Pakistan

Abstract

The world’s population is increasing at a very rapid rate, and it is resulting in increasing demand for housing and built environments. This increase in demand in causing resource depletion and increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The major cause of these problems is linear economic model of the construction industry. To cater the negative effects of linear economic model, the circular economy (CE) model has gained attention since 1970s. This research aims to identify the barriers and current trends in the integration of circular economy principles, assess the impact of circular economy principles on quality assurance, and propose recommendations for the implementation of circular economy for improved quality assurance in the construction industry of Pakistan. A questionnaire was developed to assess stakeholders’ perceptions on different aspects of circular economy integration and its impact on quality assurance. The survey was conducted among 100 construction industry professionals. The results were statistically analyzed and the relative importance index (RII) for the perceived barriers and impacts of circular economy principles on quality assurance was calculated. Key findings reveal a generally positive outlook of circular economy integration on project quality assurance. Stakeholders acknowledged that circular economy integration can have significant improvement in overall project quality assurance, will have positive impact on durability and long-term sustainability of the construction components. Still, there is potential for improvement in terms of project cost optimization and resource efficiency. Key recommendations include development of quality control measures, integration of advanced technologies in quality assurance and providing knowledge about the circular economy principles to the stakeholders.