Materials Hub

ABOUT THE MATERIALS HUB

The GlobalABC Materials Hub leads and supports diverse actors across the circular value chain of the built environment in knowledge generation, dissemination, and implementation to apply the avoid-shift-improve framework to construction materials. The Materials Hub aims to support the just transition to healthy, sustainable, net zero buildings along their life cycle by 2050, contributing to local job creation and business opportunities; while preserving the integrity of biodiversity.

The objective of the Materials Hub is to shape a common vision, leverage advocacy and synergies to accelerate transformation, promote, develop and pilot circular solutions to overcome barriers and reduce impacts, as well as facilitate the exchange of best practices and innovative ideas in education programs. 

Co-Chairs
  • UNEP
  • Green Building Council Costa Rica

Co-led by UNEP and Green Building Council Costa Rica and in partnership with he UNEP-hosted One Planet Network and Life Cycle Initiative, the Materials Hub has three independent  working groups :

  1. Circular Built Environment (CBE), led by the Ministry of the Environment Finland and RMIT,  aims to support the transition towards circularity in the buildings and construction sector by 2050, through supporting governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to increase awareness; build capacities; and advance technical, policy and market development related to the circular built environment. 
  2. Whole Life Cycle Policy Coalition (WLCP.Co), brings together organisations developing life cycle methods and approaches to create synergies in measuring and reducing whole life cycle impacts in the built environment, from material production to end-of-life recovery, addressing biodiversity, pollution, and climate effects.​
  3. Bio-based Materials, supports the shift to sustainable building materials by offering a global platform for sharing research, avoiding harmful materials, and promoting bio-based, locally sourced, cost-effective, and healthier alternatives.

Circular Built Environment:

The Circular Built Environment (CBE) is one of the three working groups of the Materials Hub and it is led by the Ministry of the Environment of Finland and RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). The CBE aims to support the transition towards circularity in the buildings and construction sector by 2050, through supporting governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to increase awareness and buy-in; build capacities; and advance technical, policy and market development related to the circular built environment,  in order to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss, to reduce waste, pollution and use of water and natural resources, while creating inclusive livelihoods/employment and enhancing local economies. 

CBE has three work streams: 

1) Policy Development

2) Capacity Building and Knowledge Creation 

3) Market Transformation. 

CBE’s activities in 2024 include the development of the National Circular Buildings Assessment Framework  (led by UNEP/UNOPS and funded by Finland) at the national level and its piloting in Bangladesh and Senegal (led by UNEP/UN-Habitat and funded by Finland), the OPN Flagship initiative: Mainstreaming Circularity through SPP (funded by Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark), development of 3 circular economy related recommendations of the 10 Whole Life Cycle recommendations for the Buildings Breakthrough through a consensus-driven process and gathering related case studies, organising high-level events such as the Circularity session at the Buildings and Climate Global Forum in Paris, France in March 2024, and promoting a key topic that is focused on the social aspects of circularity in the built environment. The key topic 2024 was determined by the CBE Action Group members and it is spearheaded by a CBE Action group member Habitat for Humanity International.

Whole Life Cycle Policy Coalition:

The Whole Life Cycle Policy Coalition (WLCP.Co) is an initiative that brings together the different activities of leading organisations working on promoting the measurement and reduction of Whole Life Cycle emissions in the built environment. This includes emissions from production and transport of constituent building materials, construction and use of buildings and infrastructure, end-of-life, material recovery and on-site energy generation.

The WLCP.Co has 5 key action areas: 

  1. Digital Infrastructure: Provide support to develop the digital infrastructure to support Life Cycle Assessments internationally, e.g., through simplification of inputs, and guidance on building databases with generic data.
  2. Data collection: Ensure that the realities of the supply chain internationally are considered when mandating and developing standards. Presentation of international case studies of reporting embodied emissions for construction products and projects to increase awareness of the different ways data is collected (e.g., tracking materials on construction sites, at the design stage, by manufacturers).
  3. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology: Gather feedback through surveys from international experts on the discrepancies between countries and drive consensus on methodological points. For example, the 50-year reference period is increasingly being adopted.
  4. Upskill policymakers: Provide a training pack for “novices” to the policy area to bring people up to speed.
  5. Diversify voices on Whole Life Carbon (WLC) assessments: Ensure a diversity of views and experiences are represented. Consider UN Sustainable Development Goals when making recommendations on reducing global WLC. Explore fellowships and support for participation from low-middle income country experts and policymakers.

Bio and Earth-based Materials:

The Bio-based and earth-based Materials working group is led by the Argentinian Center of Engineers (Centro Argentino de Ingenieros - CAI), and the Center for Natural Material Innovation of  Cambridge University. The objective of this group is to provide a global platform for knowledge creation, sharing and dissemination to accelerate a just transition to bio- and earth-based, locally-sourced, -cost-effective, healthier, and innovative building materials in alignment with the avoid-shift-improve approach.

The group is currently working on a compendium of bio- and earth-based materials and local building practices. The compendium consists of compiling (in 500-word template) a set of projects, material/technical innovation from different actors with a global scope, to be shared in an online platform. 

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