Integrating Sustainable Material Procurement in Construction Waste Management: A Systematic Review With Narrative Synthesis for the Libyan Construction Sector

Integrating sustainable material procurement with construction waste management is essential to reduce construction and demolition waste in Libya, where current practices remain largely reactive and disposal-oriented. This narrative review aims to develop a conceptual framework linking procurement decisions to waste-generation pathways in Libyan construction projects, clarifying how proactive, sustainability-driven purchasing can serve as a primary driver of waste prevention. Using a PRISMA-guided systematic search of Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore for 2001–2026, and a bibliometric analysis via VOSviewer, 956 high-quality studies were synthesized to map global knowledge and to expose the paucity of integrated SMP–CWM studies in developing economies, particularly Libya. The review identifies that practices such as Just-in-Time delivery, sustainable supplier selection, green procurement criteria, and digital technologies (e.g., BIM-enabled material estimation, IoT tracking, and AI-based forecasting) significantly improve material efficiency, reduce over-ordering, and lower landfill dependency while supporting circular economy outcomes. It also reveals persistent barriers in Libya, including weak regulatory enforcement, limited circular economy, low adoption of lean procurement, high implementation costs, and low stakeholder awareness, all of which constrain the mainstreaming of sustainable procurement. This review provides practitioners and policymakers with a structured pathway that connects procurement strategies, green building practices, and technological integration to measurable waste management indicators, including waste minimization, recycling rates, and cost savings. In practice, the study recommends targeted policy reforms, financial incentives, and capacity-building programs to embed sustainable procurement requirements across public and private projects, thereby enabling Libyan construction firms to optimize resource utilization, enhance environmental performance, and align with national sustainability and circular-economy ambitions.