Conceptualising construction waste prevention using a hierarchical model

Given that sustainable development goals and construction waste are major challenges to achieving net-zero targets, the construction industry still needs to address them through various approaches, including the poorly explored novel idea of waste prevention. The paper seeks a holistic understanding of construction waste prevention (CWP) through an exploratory study of construction waste management and CWP. The study uses a systematic literature review and a survey of relevant construction industry practitioners from Kenya and Nigeria. The emergent ideas generated three major conceptual elements, which were organised into a framework, based on their contribution to CWP understanding, nature, and functionality. The outcome was used to conceptualise the CWP hierarchy. The major limitations resulted from the dynamics of survey research, the scarcity of relevant literature, and the challenges of the COVID-19 era. The paper introduces the first conceptualisation of the nature and functionality of CWP, laying the groundwork for additional research into the possibilities, implementation, and benefits. Results of analysis are developed into an initial model of CWP, thereby addressing a gap and providing a basis for the articulation and operationalisation of waste prevention in the construction industry.