Circular Construction: Preserving Existing Buildings, Closing Cycles

SRU report confirms: Freedom from pollutants is a prerequisite for circular construction

With its latest report, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) sends a strong signal for a resource transition in the construction sector. natureplus e.V. welcomes the central demand to prioritize the preservation of existing buildings over new construction and to establish circular concepts as the standard. Particularly noteworthy is the Council's recognition that true circularity is inextricably linked to the absence of pollutants in building products. This validates the long-standing natureplus approach: the natureplus eco-label comprehensively tests building products against strict criteria for resource conservation, climate protection, and indoor health.

Commentary by natureplus

1. Freedom from pollutants as a fundamental prerequisite for circularity

The SRU clarifies that circular construction measures are only sustainable if pollutants are consistently removed. natureplus supports the recommendation to design building products in such a way that they can be reused at a high quality without compromising indoor air quality or future recycling processes. An eco-label like natureplus provides the necessary security here: through independent testing of emissions and ingredients, it is ensured that "today's secondary raw materials do not become tomorrow's legacy waste."

2. Priority for renewable and tested building materials

While the SRU focuses heavily on mineral cycles and technical secondary building materials, natureplus additionally emphasizes the importance of renewable raw materials. These are naturally occurring circular materials with high CO₂ storage capacity. However, we share the SRU's assessment that sustainably sourced wood is limited in availability and must therefore be used highly efficiently and in cascades. The life cycle assessments (LCA) called for by the SRU are the right tool to make the ecological advantages of these materials transparent.

3. Transparency through digital product passports and labels

The demand for digital building resource passports (GRP) and standardized manufacturer information is essential. natureplus sees itself as an important data provider in this regard, as our product certification already provides the reliable facts on material composition and environmental impact required for such digital tools. We support the SRU's demand to make ecological criteria and documentation requirements mandatory, at least for public projects.

4. Market incentives for sustainable products

natureplus explicitly supports the proposed economic instruments, such as a primary building material tax or tax relief for secondary building products. Such measures would offset the cost disadvantage of ecologically high-quality and tested products and significantly strengthen the market for sustainable construction.

Conclusion

The SRU report is groundbreaking. It confirms that the path to a circular construction sector leads through tested quality, transparency, and the protection of health. natureplus will continue to act as a partner in the future to drive forward the qualification of the industry demanded by the SRU and to achieve broader market penetration for sustainable and pollutant-tested building materials.

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