Advancing Building Product Reuse : A Swedish Perspective on Client Perceptions, Availability and Quality Assurance
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The construction industry remains one of the largest contributors to resource consumption and waste generation in the EU, making the transition to circular construction both urgent and essential. However, the transition towards a circular construction and real estate industry requires a fundamental shift in material flows, prioritising waste prevention, reducing extraction of natural resources, and extending product lifecycles. Reuse of building products is a critical strategy for reducing the industry’s climate impact, limiting raw material extraction, and retaining material value within the built environment. Despite its potential, large-scale implementation is hindered by market immaturity, uncertainty regarding product performance, and insufficient documentation. Sustainable reuse must therefore be supported by quality assurance and clearly defined responsibilities to foster client engagement and avoid suboptimal outcomes.The studies presented in this licentiate thesis employed a mixed-methods approach to address these challenges. Using grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Swedish property companies experienced in practical reuse, exploring their perspectives as clients on the reuse of building products, as well as their views on certified reused products and reuse actors. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify key enablers and barriers. In parallel, a bottom-up methodology was applied to estimate quantities of six product types – windows, radiators, façades, roofing, frameworks, and gypsum boards – using data from 57 demolition permits for preschools and multifamily buildings across 13 municipalities in Greater Gothenburg.This thesis identifies and analyses key enablers and barriers to the practical implementation of building product reuse in new construction and renovation within the Swedish construction and real estate industry. The three most significant enablers were the development of new project management methods, enhanced competence and learning across organisational boundaries, and the early integration of reuse strategies in project planning. Conversely, the most prominent barriers included the lack of measurable economic incentives, the absence of a professional reuse market, and obsolete project management practices. In addition, quality concerns regarding reused products persisted as a major barrier, consistent with previous research. Therefore, the study examined this further and found strong support for certifying reused products to improve quality assurance, increase confidence in performance, and facilitate warranties, while simplifying decision-making and streamlining procurement processes. Interest in certified reuse actors, however, was less pronounced.Regarding the availability and accessibility of reused products, the findings revealed substantial discrepancies between estimated and reported quantities of reusable products in demolition projects. For example, desktop estimates of wooden windows in preschools were nearly three times higher than reported figures, while reported waste quantities for timber frameworks in multifamily buildings were almost seven times larger than desktop estimates. These inconsistencies highlight systemic deficiencies in demolition permit documentation, which risk distorting the perceived reuse potential. To address this, the study introduced scalable key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to estimate product quantities per building footprint area. These KPIs offer a practical tool for contractors and municipalities to assess product availability and validate pre-demolition audits. The research also calls for standardised and digitalised product-level reporting in demolition permits to enhance transparency and reliability.
Author: Ericsson, Filip
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7115032664
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