​​Assessment of the Circular Economy in Bangladesh’s Buildings and Construction Sector​

​​Bangladesh's buildings and construction sector contributes around 8 per cent of GDP and is growing fast. The country's per capita material footprint and emissions remain well below global averages, but both are rising: embodied carbon from bricks, cement and concrete is climbing, construction and demolition waste (CDW) makes up at least 30 per cent of total solid waste, and national plans lack a circularity focus while the NDCs set no targets for the sector. 

​Prepared by UN-Habitat with UNEP, UNOPS, and Bangladesh's Ministry of Housing and Public Works, with funding from the Government of Finland, the report pilots the National Circularity Assessment Framework for Buildings, developed by the Circular Built Environment Working Group of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). The framework assesses circularity against three objectives – minimize raw material extraction and waste, mitigate environmental impacts, and improve economic and social outcomes – and across five action areas: strategic priorities, spatial and urban development, existing buildings, new buildings, and the construction supply chain. 

​The assessment finds no national strategy or dedicated institution for circularity in the sector, scarce data on material flows, and few incentives for reuse, recycling, or renovation. It also documents an extensive informal economy that already recirculates close to three quarters of CDW, and a policy and institutional culture well placed to absorb circularity principles. 

​Recommendations centre on embedding circularity in national plans and the Bangladesh National Building Code, strengthening CDW data and collection, incentivizing renovation and the use of vacant buildings, promoting local and bio-based materials, and recognizing the informal sector's role in the circular transition.