Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast event hosted by Keltbray as part of London’s Circular Economy Week, curated by ReLondon. The session, titled “The Value Chain for a Circular Economy,” brought together industry leaders to discuss how we can collaboratively drive circular practices in construction. The Keltbray lineup was impressive with Vince Corrigan (CEO), Holly Price (Group Sustainability Director) and Stuart Norman (Managing Director, Piling) kicking off the session.
The Shift from Linear to Circular
Vince and Holly opened with compelling points about the state of our supply chain. Vince emphasised the need to break away from the hierarchical, linear model that currently dominates. He called for a more egalitarian approach, where all supply chain participants are viewed as equal contributors. A shift of this kind would allow companies like Keltbray to bring their expertise to the table earlier in a project’s lifecycle, potentially improving sustainability outcomes from the get-go.
Stuart followed up with case studies showcasing Keltbray’s ongoing efforts, while Aisling Reynolds (Group Environmental and Sustainability Manager) led the dynamic roundtable session that sparked some fantastic discussions. There were about eight or nine tables, each seating eight people, filled with what I called “the Formula One” of the industry - individuals whose actions could shape the direction of the wider construction sector.
Tackling Key Questions: Collaborative Thinking
We worked through three critical questions during the morning, with each table sharing their thoughts. Here’s a recap of the discussions and insights.
1. What are the opportunities for reuse and the circular economy?
A recurring theme at our table was risk-sharing. As it stands, risk is often pushed down the supply chain, which can stifle innovation and hinder the circular economy’s potential. The consensus was that we need to rethink how we distribute and manage risk to unlock new opportunities for reuse.
One suggestion I found particularly compelling was viewing pre-demolition audits as “design tools”. Rather than treating them as box-ticking exercises, why not integrate them into the earliest stages of a project? While the idea of conducting these audits at stage 0 is ambitious - considering most projects are barely even ‘projects’ at that point - it does challenge us to be more creative in our reuse strategies.
A great analogy came from Charlie Scott at Watermans, who likened current design practices to writing a recipe and then shopping for ingredients. In the future, we should reverse this: look at what’s already in the fridge (i.e., available materials) and design accordingly. This kind of creative thinking is exactly what’s needed to drive a more resource-efficient future.
We also agreed that creating a robust network for knowledge-sharing is essential to realising the circular economy’s potential. Collaboration is key, and without it, valuable insights remain siloed. Lastly, we touched on the need to redefine value - how we measure it, where it exists, and how it drives decision-making.
2. How can we measure the impact and value of circular economy activities?
This question revealed a significant gap in how we incentivise circular practices. Currently, our metrics don’t reward material recovery or deconstruction efforts, which makes adoption difficult. Without the right incentives, it’s hard to drive meaningful change.
A more detailed pre-demolition audit would help here, offering better visibility into the value of reused materials. We also floated the idea of designing buildings for disassembly - how about a rating or score for how ‘circular’ a project is? This could push designers and contractors to think more deeply about the lifecycle of their materials.
Vince shared a great model for thinking about these issues: the triangle of competing forces - effort, time and value. It’s a balancing act, but with the right metrics in place, we can move towards greater circularity.
3. What more can Keltbray do for the circular economy?
This discussion was about action. We all agreed that Keltbray has a unique opportunity to lead by example, sharing knowledge and successes with the wider industry. I couldn’t resist bringing up the Formula One analogy again, but then switched to Roger Bannister’s sub-4-minute mile. Once something is proven possible, it’s much easier for others to follow - and that’s exactly where we are with the circular economy.
I suggested Keltbray could offer alternative tenders for deconstruction on every project. Not only would this provide clients with real data on the costs and benefits of deconstruction, but it would also allow Keltbray to refine its expertise in this area.
Another idea I walked away with was the concept of a circular economy hackathon. Imagine bringing together design teams from projects with similar timelines to collaborate on circular solutions. These kinds of initiatives could push the boundaries of what’s possible and accelerate the industry’s progress.
In conclusion, the Keltbray event was a refreshing reminder of the power of collaboration and innovation. As industry leaders, we have a responsibility to drive the circular economy forward, and it starts with conversations like the ones we had that morning.
Let’s keep the momentum going. I’ll leave you with this thought - what will be our industry’s “4-minute mile” moment, and how can we push each other to get there?