Determinants of Material Reuse in a Restorative Circular Economy in the Building Sector: Insights from Steel and Plasterboard Supply Chains

The reuse of building materials provides a circular approach to managing building stock and supports the transition to regenerative cities. However, recycling remains the dominant end-of-life pathway of circularity, and building materials have varying potentials for reuse, e.g. steel and plasterboard. The determinants of their reusability are yet to be fully explored. Semi-structured interviews with thirty practitioners from steel and plasterboard supply chains were conducted to investigate the factors influencing their reusability. Findings revealed the disparity in the economic value and ease of deconstruction between steel and plasterboard is critical in determining their practical feasibility for reuse. A framework including twenty-one factors was proposed to support the evaluation of the reusability of building materials. While plasterboard is barely reused, potential pathways for improving its reuse include adaptive reuse, modular construction, standardisation, reversible fixings, servitisation, and community-based business models. The upscaling of steel reuse is constrained by insufficient supplies from demolition. Future research should expand the framework to include other materials and develop a weighted scoring system for practical use.