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Glossary of Terms for Circular Economy
& Waste Management in Construction
A concise glossary clarifying key terms on construction, demolition waste, and the circular economy, supporting a shared understanding across the sector and evolving through ongoing user feedback.
Accessibility
ISO 11620:2023
Person, organization or organizational unit involved in a construction process.
Actor
ISO 19650-1:2018
Easy of reaching and using a service or facility.
Adaptability
ISO 6707-3:2022
Ability to changes or modifications suitable for a particular use.
Adaptability of a building
European Economic and Social Committee. Let's speak…
Building that is designed in such a way that, over time, it can be readily transformed to accommodate uses for which it was not originally conceived.
Add value
ISO/DIS 59004
Process of increasing the value of the object of consideration (i.e., a resource, a product etc.).
Alternative material
European Economic and Social Committee. Let's speak…
Material which substitutes a primary material (see secondary material).
Ancillary material
ISO 14040:2006
Input material or product that is used by the unit process producing the product, but which does not constitute part of the product.
As-built drawing
An as-built drawing is a drawing that the designer, engineer or contractor of a construction project creates after successfully completing a project.
Audit
ISO 14050:2020
Systematic and independent process for obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled.
Audit team
ISO 14050:2020
One or more persons conducting an audit supported if needed by technical experts.
Auditor
ISO 14050:2020
Person who conduct an audit.
Avoidable waste
Zero Avoidable Waste in Construction (Construction Leadership Council, 2020)
Materials, products or components that can be prevented from becoming waste, and it can either be prevented, reused or recycled.
Backfilling
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC + DIRECTIVE (EU) 2018/851
Any recovery operation where suitable non-hazardous waste is used for purposes of reclamation in excavated areas or for engineering purposes in landscaping. Waste used for backfilling must substitute non-waste materials, be suitable for the aforementioned purposes, and be limited to the amount strictly necessary to achieve those purposes.
Bio-based
ISO/DIS 59004
Derived from biomass.
Bio-based products
European Commission (https://single-
market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/biotechnology/bio-based-products_en)
They are wholly or partly derived from materials of biological origin (such as plants, animals, enzymes, and microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and yeast). They do not include materials that are embedded in geological formations and/or fossilised. From products we use every day to cutting-edge innovations, bio-based products are revolutionising industries and paving the way for a more sustainable economy.
Biomass
ISO 14050:2020; ISO/DIS 59004
Material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and material transformed to fossilized material and excluding peat.
Broker
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Any undertaking arranging the recovery or disposal of waste on behalf of others, including such brokers who do not take physical possession of the waste.
Building
ISO 6707-1:2020
Construction work, that has the provision of shelter for its occupants or contents as one of its main purposes, usually partially or totally enclosed and designed to stand permanently in one place.
Building Information Modelling (BIM)
EN ISO 19650-1:2018
Use of a shared digital representation of a built asset to facilitate design, construction and operation processes to form a reliable basis for decisions.
Built environment
EN ISO 12006-2:2020
Physical construction result intended to serve a function or user activity.
By-product
Article 5, By-products, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC & ISO 21930:2017
A substance or object is considered not to be waste, but to be a by product if the following conditions are met: (I) further use of the substance or object is certain; (II) the substance or object can be used directly without any further processing other than normal industrial practice; (III) the substance or object is produced as an integral part of a production process; and (IV) further use is lawful. Co-product from a process that is incidental or not intentionally produced and which cannot be avoided.
Certification
ISO 17000:2020
Third-party attestation related to an object of conformity assessment, with the exception of accreditation.
Circular building
Transition Agenda for Circular Construction Economy of the Netherlands
Development, use and reuse of buildings, areas and infrastructure without unnecessarily exhausting natural resources, polluting the living environment, and affecting ecosystems. Construction in a way that is economically sound and contributes to the well being of humans and animals. Here and there, now and later.
Circular economy
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32020R0852&from=EN%20&%20ISO/DIS%2059004)
An economic system whereby the value of products, materials and other resources in the economy is maintained for as long as possible, enhancing their efficient use in production and consumption, thereby reducing the environmental impact of their use, minimising waste and the release of hazardous substances at all stages of their life cycle, including through the application of the waste hierarchy. Economic system that uses a systemic approach to maintain a circular flow of resources, by recovering, retaining or adding to their value, while contributing to sustainable development.
Circularity
Ellen McArthur Foundation & ISO/DIS 59004
Activities which are defined on the right side of the Ellen McArthur Foundation butterfly diagram. Primary focus of these activities is on the technosphere. Circularity demands advances in technology and scientific research to discover new ways of reusing resources. Recyclable raw materials should be designed into a product right at the manufacturing stage so that they can be utilised after their use (see also sustainability definition) Degree of alignment with the principles for a circular economy.
Client
ISO 19650-1:2018
Actor responsible for initiating a construction project and approving the brief.
Closed loop system
ISO 59004
System by which products or resources are used and then recovered and turned into new products or recovered resources, without losing their inherent properties.
Co-processing
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
The term is used when introducing alternative fuels and raw materials into a standard production process, rather than using conventional fuels and raw materials.
Co-product
ISO 14050:2020
Product coming from the same unit process or product system as one or more other products.
Collection
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC + DIRECTIVE (EU) 2018/851
The gathering of waste, including the preliminary sorting and preliminary storage of waste for the purposes of transport to a waste treatment facility.
Collection of waste
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Gathering of waste, including the preliminary sorting and preliminary storage of waste for the purposes of transport to a waste treatment facility.
Common data environment (CDE)
EN ISO 19650-1:2018
Agreed source of information for any given project or asset, for collecting, managing and disseminating each information container through a managed process.
Completed phase
ISO 6707-2:2017
Phase that the parties agree has been completed.
Compliance obligation
ISO 14050:2020
Legal requirement that an organization has to comply with or other requirement that an organization has to or chooses to comply with.
Component
Design Buildings Wiki
Constituent part of a building (or other built asset) which is manufactured as an independent unit, subsystem or subassembly, that can be joined or blended with other elements to form a more complex item.
Construction activity
EN ISO 12006-2:2020
Component process of construction process.
Construction and demolition waste (CDW)
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Any waste generated in the activities of companies belonging to the construction sector and included 63 in category 17 of the European List of Wastes.
Construction and demolition waste (CDW)
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Waste that results from construction and demolition, renovation or reconstruction activities in a general way. It also includes waste arising from minor do-it-yourself construction and demolition activities within private households.
Construction material
European Economic and Social Committee. Let's speak…
Material used in the construction industry to create buildings and structures, e.g. steel, timber, aggregates, plaster, concrete, plastic products etc. as well as manufactured products.
Construction process
EN ISO 12006-2:2020
Process which uses construction resources to achieve construction results.
Construction product
ISO 6707-1:2020
Item manufactured or processed for incorporation in construction work.
Construction service
EN15804:2012+A2:2019/AC:2021
Activity that supports the construction works or subsequent maintenance.
Construction works
ISO 6707-1:2020
Everything that is constructed or results from construction operations.
Contract
ISO 6707-2:2017
Legally enforceable agreement to supply goods, carry out construction work and/or provide services.
Contract
FIDIC
Means the Contract Agreement, the Letter of Acceptance, the Letter of Tender, these Conditions, the Specification, the Drawings, the Schedules, and the further documents (if any) which are listed in the Contract Agreement or in the Letter of Acceptance.
Contractor
FIDIC & Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) (UK)
Means the person(s) named as contractor in the Letter of Tender accepted by the Employer and the legal successors in title to this person(s). Anyone who directly employs or engages construction workers or manages construction work. Contractors include sub-contractors, any individual self-employed worker or business that carries out, manages or controls construction work. They must have the skills, knowledge, experience and, where relevant, the organisational capability to carry out the work safely and without risk to health.
Cost
ISO 14050:2020
Monetary value of resources consumed to perform activities.
Database
ISO 11620:2023
Collection of electronically stored descriptive records or content units (including facts, texts, pictures, and sound) with a common user interface and software for the retrieval and manipulation of the data.
Dealer
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Means any undertaking which acts in the role of principal to purchase and subsequently sell waste, including such dealers who do not take physical possession of the waste.
Decommissioning
Design Buildings Wiki, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) & EN 15643:2021
Process of shutting down a building and/or removing it from operation or use. Decommissioning may be followed by re-commissioning, repurposing or demolition. Common types of buildings that may be decommissioned include; power stations, oil rigs, factories, warehouses, public buildings and so on. Activities that change a building or an assembled system (part of works) from an operational status to a non-operational status.
Deconstruction
Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and renovation works of buildings, May 2018
Means removal of building elements from a demolition site in order to maximize their recovery and reuse.
Decontamination
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Reduction or removal of chemical agents
Dematerialization
Architect Design (https://www.architectureanddesign.co
m.au/getmedia/9391de5b-1aad-408b-
994a-9e6e421f7cce/Holcim-Designing-
for-Dematerialisation.aspx?ext=.pdf)
Design strategy that prioritises lower material and resource inputs across all life cycle stages of a building, without adversely affecting the operational performance or intended function of the building.
Demolition
What is building demolition? (https://safetyculture.com/topics/build
ing-demolition/ & https://www.collinsdictionary.com/)
Process of dismantling, destroying, or knocking down building structures along with the materials used in the construction of the property. The demolition of a building is the act of deliberately destroying it, often in order to build something else in its place.
Demolition waste
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Waste debris from deconstruction of a building or structure.
Demountability
ISO 6707-3:2022
Ability to be removed from its mounting or setting.
Design criteria
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Set of conditions and requirements which must be met by architects when designing any building or urban space.
Design life
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak… & EN 15643:2021
Period of time that a building or structure must be able to function as envisaged without a need for a major renovation. Service life intended by the designer,
Design process
EN ISO 12006-2:2020
Construction process determining construction properties for the built environment before it is made physical.
Design quality assessment
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Process which monitors all stages in the design of a building/structure and seeks to assist the client in determining whether or not the final building will be of a high quality.
Design science research
Hevner, A.R., Samir Chatterjee (2010) Service Design Research in Information Systems: Theory and Practice. Springer. New York & London. ISBN 9781441956538
Research paradigm focused on developing and evaluating innovative IT artefacts designed to address practical, real world issues. The foundational principle is that knowledge and comprehension of a problem domain and its solution are acquired through the construction and application of the designed artifact.
Designer
Construction (Design and Management) & Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) (UK)
An organisation or individual whose work involves preparing or modifying designs for construction projects, or arranging for, or instructing, others to do this. Designers can be architects, consulting engineers and quantity surveyors, or anyone who specifies and alters designs as part of their work.
Digital Material (Product) Passport
Digital document listing all the materials that are included in a product or construction during its life cycle in order to facilitate strategizing circularity decisions in supply chain management. Digital Product Passports (DPP) are a tool for collecting and sharing product data throughout its entire lifecycle used to illustrate a product’s sustainability, environmental and recyclability attributes.
Digital Twin
Service Design Research in Information Systems : Theory and Practice
A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system designed to reflect a physical object accurately. It spans the object's lifecycle, is updated from real-time data and uses simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help make decisions. A digital twin is “a virtual representation of an object, a service process, a product, or anything else that can be digitized.”
Disassembly
Springer: New York ; London, 2010; ISBN 9781441956538
Ability to be taken apart at the end of its useful life in such a way that components and parts can be reused, recycled, recovered for energy.
Dismantling
Design Buildings Wiki
Careful deconstruction of building components for repair, re-use, re-purposing or recycling. Dismantling differs from deconstruction in that it can be undertaken as a means of conservation, maintenance and repair works, whereas deconstruction involves taking a building down, albeit in a careful way that aims to minimise waste and maximise re-use. Dismantling also differs from demolition in that it does not generally involve the clearance of an entire structure.
Disposal
Article 3, Definitions, DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC
Any operation which is not recovery even where the operation has as a secondary consequence the reclamation of substances or energy.
Disposal cost
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Cost of removing or getting rid of refuse or unwanted materials left over from a manufacturing process.
Downcycling/downgrading
Helbig, C., Huether, J., Joachimsthaler, C., Lehmann, C., Raatz, S., Thorenz, A., Faulstich, M., Tuma, A. (2022) 'A terminology for downcycling'. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 26, pp. 1164-1174
Phenomenon of quality reduction of materials reprocessed from waste relative to their original quality, where waste means any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard. Downcycled materials count as recycled materials. One can distinguish between thermodynamic, functional, and economic downcycling.
Drawings
FIDIC & www.dictionary.com
Drawings of the designed works, as included in the Contract, and any additional and modified drawings issued by (or on behalf of) the Employer in accordance with the Contract. The act of a person or thing that draws. a graphic representation by lines of an object or idea, as with a pencil; a delineation of form without reference to colour.
Durability
EN 15643:2021 & European Economic and Social
Committee. Lets speak…
Ability to maintain required technical performance throughout the service life, subject to specified maintenance under the influence of the foreseeable actions. Power of resisting agents or influences which tend to cause changes, decay, or dissolution; lastingness.
Eco-efficiency
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Practice which involves increasing the productivity of natural resources. Measure relating environmental performance of a product system to its product system value.
Ecodesign
ISO 14006:2020 & ISO/DIS 59004
Systematic approach that considers environmental aspects in design and development with the aim to reduce adverse environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of a product Design and development based on life cycle thinking aimed at supporting sustainable development.
Ecosystem
ISO/DIS 59004
Dynamic complex of communities of plants, animals and microorganisms and their non-living environment, interacting as a functional entity.
Element
Uniclass 2015 & Design Buildings Wiki
The main components of a structure like a bridge (foundations, piers, deck) or a building (floors, walls and roofs).
Elementary flow
ISO 14050:2020
Material or energy entering the system being studied that has been drawn from the environment without previous human transformation, or material or energy leaving the system being studied that is released into the environment without subsequent human transformation.
End of life
TechTarget (https://www.techtarget.com/)
End of life (EOL), in the context of manufacturing and product lifecycles, is the final stages of a product's existence.
End of use
ISO/DIS 59004
Point in time during the life cycle at which a product or resource is transferred by the holder to some other holder.
End-of-life cost
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Cost associated with the disposal, termination or replacement of an asset or service.
Energy recovery
ISO 6707-3:2022; ISO 21930:2017 & ISO/DIS 59004
Recovery of energy from a process, including waste treatment process. Generation of useful energy through direct and controlled transformation of recovered resources.
Environment
ISO/DIS 59004
Surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their relationships.
Environmental aspect
ISO 14050:2020
Element of an organisation's activities or products that interacts or can interact with the environment.
Environmental burden
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Total impact on the environment of a construction product or project.
Environmental declaration
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
One of three types of declarations: type I, based on third-party certification for specific goods and services; type II, based on self-declarations; and type III, based on life-cycle impacts and their assessment.
Environmental impact
ISO 14050:2020
Change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, including possible consequences, wholly or partially resulting from an organisation's environmental aspects.
Environmental indicator
ISO 21929-1:2011
Sustainability indicator related to an environmental impact.
Environmental product declaration (EPD)
ISO 21930:2017
Standardized document informing about a product’s environmental and human health impact. It’s based on the ISO 14025 standard and the scientific footprinting method Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The goal of an EPD is to inform and communicate with stakeholders about a product’s environmental impact. Therefore, companies often use EPDs for commercial purposes.
Environmental profiling
European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Method used to capture in quantifiable terms the impact of a good or service on the environment.
Estimated (predicted) service life
ISO 15686-1:2011
Service life that a building or parts of a building would be expected to have in a set of specific in use conditions, determined from reference service life data after taking into account any differences from the reference in-use conditions.
Excavation waste
Excavation waste definition (https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary)
Means natural soil, earth, sand, gravel, asphalt, concrete and stone or any parts or mixtures thereof. Means naturally occurring soil, stone, rock and similar materials (whether clean or contaminated) which have been excavated as a result of site preparation activities.
Feasibility study
ISO 6707-2:2017
A feasibility study is a detailed analysis that considers all of the critical aspects of a proposed project in order to determine the likelihood of t succeeding.
Functional unit
ISO 14050:2020
Quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit.
Good
ISO 14050:2020
Something that satisfies human wants or needs.
Handover
EN 15643:2021 & European Economic and Social Committee. Lets speak…
Step at which possession of the construction works is surrendered to the client upon completion with or without reservation.
Hazardous construction and demolition waste
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Debris that has hazardous properties and that may prove to be harmful to human health or the environment. This comprises contaminated soil and dredging spoil, materials and substances that may include adhesives, sealants and mastic (flammable, toxic or irritant), tar (toxic, carcinogenic), asbestos based materials in the form of respirable fibre (toxic, carcinogenic), wood treated with fungicides, pesticides, etc. (toxic, ecotoxic, flammable), coatings of halogenated flame retardants (ecotoxic, toxic, carcinogenic), equipment with PCBs (ecotoxic, carcinogenic), mercury lighting (toxic, ecotoxic), systems with CFCs, insulation containing CFCs65 , containers for hazardous substances (solvents, paints, adhesives, etc.) and the packaging of likely contaminated waste.
Hazardous waste
Article 3, Definitions, Directive 2008/98/EC & Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and renovation works of buildings, May 2018
Waste which displays one or more of the hazardous properties listed in Annex III. Waste that due to its (intrinsic) chemical - or other - properties poses a risk to the environment and/or human health. Wastes listed as hazardous in the European List of Waste are marked with and asterisk in the List of Waste.
Indicator
ISO 14050 & ISO 6707 3:2022
Quantitative, qualitative or binary variable that can be measured, calculated or described, representing the status of operations, management, conditions or impacts.
Industry 4.0
IBM (2022). What is industry 4.0? Ibm; IBM
Realization of the digital transformation of the field, delivering real-time decision making, enhanced productivity, flexibility and agility to revolutionize the way companies manufacture, improve and distribute their products.
Inert waste
EU Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol (2016)
Waste that does not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformations (for ex. concrete, bricks, masonry, tiles). Inert waste will not dissolve, burn or otherwise react physically or chemically, biodegrade or adversely affect other matter with which it comes into contact in a way likely to give rise to environmental pollution or harm human health.
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
Computer Security Resource Centre. Glossary
Encompasses all technologies for the capture, storage, retrieval, processing, display, representation, organization, management, security, transfer, and interchange of data and information.
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