Circular Construction Materials from Regional Waste Streams

1)      Context and ambition

Across Europe, large quantities of construction and demolition waste, excavated soils, mineral by-products and industrial residues remain underutilized despite their significant potential as secondary resources for the construction sector. At the same time, the decarbonization of building materials has become a strategic priority for achieving European climate objectives and reducing dependency on virgin raw materials.

Many European regions face similar challenges but possess different resource streams, industrial ecosystems and construction practices. These territorial differences represent a unique opportunity to jointly develop circular construction solutions that can be adapted and replicated across Europe.

The proposed project aims to bring together regions willing to explore how locally available waste streams and secondary resources can be transformed into high-value structural construction materials. Building upon the experience and scientific foundations developed through the SILVER Chair in France, the initiative seeks to create a European collaboration framework dedicated to the development, validation and demonstration of circular structural materials derived from regional waste streams.

2)      Project vision

The project ambition is not limited to developing new materials. It aims to establish a transferable European methodology allowing regions to identify, characterise and valorise their own secondary resources for construction applications.

By combining complementary regional waste streams, scientific expertise and industrial capacities, the consortium will investigate innovative pathways for producing low-carbon structural materials while strengthening local circular economy ecosystems.

The project intends to demonstrate that regional waste streams can become strategic resources capable of supporting both industrial competitiveness and environmental transition objectives.

3)      Main research challenges

Several scientific and technological questions remain open and require a collaborative European approach:

- How can regional waste streams be effectively characterized and compared across different territories?

- Which combinations of secondary resources offer the greatest potential for structural construction applications?

- How can the variability of local resources be managed while ensuring consistent material performance?

- Which formulations and processing routes enable significant reductions in embodied carbon while maintaining structural performance?

- How can circular construction materials be validated, demonstrated and replicated across different European contexts?

4)      Expected outcomes

The project aims to deliver:

- A European inventory of regional waste streams and secondary resources suitable for construction applications.

- New knowledge regarding the valorization of construction and demolition waste and other mineral residues.

- Innovative low-carbon structural material concepts based on regional resources.

- Pilot demonstrations showcasing the feasibility of circular construction materials (TRL 7).

- A transferable framework supporting the replication of circular construction value chains in European regions.

- Recommendations supporting future certification, standardization and market uptake.

5)      Partners sought

The consortium is currently looking for partners from RIVCircular regions interested in contributing to one or several of the following areas:

- Waste management and recycling organizations.

- Construction and demolition waste valorization companies.

- Producers of mineral by-products and secondary raw materials.

- Construction companies and prefabrication manufacturers.

- Research centers specialized in construction materials, durability, geopolymers, low-carbon binders or circular economy.

- Regional authorities and public organizations interested in circular construction policies.

- Clusters and innovation organizations supporting industrial deployment.

6)      Why participate?

Partners will have the opportunity to:

- Compare and valorize their regional resource streams within a European framework.

- Access complementary expertise and pilot infrastructures.

- Contribute to the development of innovative circular construction solutions.

- Strengthen regional industrial ecosystems around low-carbon materials.

- Position their territory within an emerging European network dedicated to circular construction materials.

The consortium is open to jointly refining the project scope according to the expertise, resources and strategic priorities of participating regions.