Holcim: Construction Demands Verified Circular Credentials

A growing number of construction industry leaders are willing to pay more for building materials with verified circular credentials.

According to new research from Holcim UK, this indicates a change in procurement priorities, placing greater emphasis on sustainability.

Holcim UK is now urging government and industry bodies to introduce mandatory verification and third-party certification for circular products to provide clarity and prevent greenwashing.

The study from Holcim UK highlights a desire across the construction sector to implement sustainability into operations in a meaningful way.

Holcim UK, a provider of sustainable building solutions, aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by embedding decarbonisation and circularity within its business. Holcim UK works with customers and their supply chains to deliver more sustainable construction projects.

Circular manufacturing in construction

Holcim UK's Circularity Survey gathered insights from 500 decision-makers in the UK, including architects, building contractors and haulier merchants, to explore changing attitudes towards the circular economy.

The research was initiated to help the government and the wider industry understand the challenges preventing the sector from fully adopting circular practices.

It also aligns with Holcim's strategy to develop a closed-loop supply chain, which includes investment in its ECOCycle range that processes construction demolition materials into new building solutions.

The survey's findings could show a growing commitment to circularity throughout the construction sector, though leaders report facing barriers to implementation.

“These findings show a clear change in the construction industry: circular credentials are no longer a ‘nice to have’ – they are fast becoming a decisive factor in procurement decisions," explains Kaziwe Siame Kaulule, Managing Director Aggregates & Construction Demolition Materials at Holcim UK.

"Sustainable materials are moving from the margins to the mainstream."

Kaziwe also explains that at Holcim UK, its ECOCycle range "turns waste materials into new building products, embedding circularity at the point of manufacture. This means decision-makers can rest assured that the materials we provide, and they use, have circularity quite literally built in". 

Verification of procurement standards

According to Holcim’s survey, circularity is gaining importance across the industry, moving from an optional consideration to a core value factor.

Procurement policies within local government, large businesses and housing associations are increasingly favouring suppliers that can demonstrate strong circular practices. This suggests manufacturers and suppliers which can prove circularity in their operations and products may be prioritised.

Key findings from the research include:

• 97% of respondents view embracing the circular economy as important, an increase from 79% in 2024.
• 57% of businesses report having circularity targets across all their operations, compared to 21% in 2024.
• 34% state that high costs from disassembling materials are the greatest challenge when looking to adopt circularity.
• 94% of respondents consider access to circular products when choosing their suppliers, a growth from 73% in 2024.
• 87% of businesses are willing to pay more for products that have circularity.

Overcoming adoption barriers

To hold suppliers accountable and mitigate the risk of greenwashing, the report suggests that procurement processes require transparency, clear standards and verification.

Holcim recommends that government and industry bodies work to establish mandatory verification and independent third-party certification within procurement frameworks.

This could help increase the credibility of circular claims and accelerate the adoption of circular procurement across the sector.

“Individual products will not be enough," asserts Kaziwe. "We need to see government and industry introducing robust verification methods, third-party certification and clear standards to ensure circular credentials are evidence-based and without room for ambiguity."

For procurement at the local authority level, this could mean placing greater emphasis on aligning policy with claims to ensure credentials can be evidenced through robust and unbiased processes.