Exploration of critical influences for adopting circular economy and sustainable construction and demolition waste management practices: a systematic review

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is one of the largest global waste streams, posing significant environmental, economic, and health challenges. Despite this, management approaches are often applied uniformly, with limited consideration of stakeholder perspectives, local contexts, and material variability. This review challenges this one-size-fits-all approach by applying a multi-dimensional circular economy perspective to examine the spatial, institutional, and behavioral heterogeneity that shapes C&D waste management decision- making. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, drawing on both peer-reviewed literature selected through major academic databases, including Web of Science and ScienceDirect, and relevant grey literature to provide industry and regulatory context. Evidence quality was assessed using the CASP framework. Studies published between 2004 and 2025 were included based on predefined eligibility criteria. The synthesis of 64 publications identified the availability and accessibility of C&D waste recycling facilities as a fundamental yet under-recognized determinant shaping stakeholder engagement and waste diversion outcomes, distinguishing it from the broader market, cultural, and regulatory barriers commonly emphasised in existing circular-economy frameworks. The findings also highlighted the importance of understanding material characteristics and generation dynamics to inform effective long-term strategies. International experience, particularly from Sweden, demonstrates how coordinated governance, mandatory on-site sorting, sustained infrastructure investment, and continuous policy refinement can overcome structural barriers and enable high-performing circular systems. Although the economic viability of C&D recycling facilities remains region-specific, the strategies identified are broadly transferable, highlighting the need for context-sensitive strategies that align infrastructure, policy, market conditions, and stakeholder engagement to accelerate circular-economy adoption in the construction sector.

© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).