The building and construction sector is one of Europe\u2019s largest sources of material use, waste generation, and carbon emissions. While circular economy (CE) strategies offer enormous potential to reduce this impact, they remain poorly integrated with national climate and energy policies \u2013 especially in the materials segment of the sector.<\/p>\n
The DECON project, conducted by the Reform Institute in collaboration with two European think-tanks: CONCITO and ReThink, addresses this gap. Focusing on\u00a0Poland, Ukraine and Denmark<\/strong>, the report explores\u00a0how national climate strategies, CE policies and sectoral needs can be better aligned to support a net-zero transformation in the construction and building materials sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n Key findings reveal that most current frameworks \u2013 including National Energy and Climate Plans \u2013 overlook the emissions and resource use tied to the full lifecycle of materials like cement, steel, or insulation. At the same time, circular solutions such as material reuse, modular construction, or low-carbon substitutes remain underused in policymaking and practice.<\/p>\n The report identifies best practices, barriers and mismatches across the value chain \u2013 from policy design to implementation \u2013 and offers concrete recommendations for:<\/p>\n