The construction sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expanding substantially due to many variables, including strong economic growth, a swiftly growing population, and continuous modernization endeavors. As a result, the development of the construction industry is leading to adverse impacts on energy consumption and environmental conditions. The UAE government and policymakers have implemented significant initiatives to advance sustainable infrastructure, promote clean energy utilization, effectively manage construction and demolition waste (CDW), and foster green building development. These measures follow the nation’s dedication to the Paris Agreement, which aims to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The article comprehensively examines the policies and practices implemented in this industrialized nation concerning sustainable construction. Moreover, the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of the UAE in comparison to other countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) concerning their accomplishments in sustainability. Additionally, the study seeks to integrate insights from the global community regarding sustainability policies, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the effective management of CDW, and the implementation of green regulations that govern environmentally conscious construction practices. A comprehensive analysis of information sources from official websites, particularly those of the ministry and key government agencies, is conducted to better understand the current sustainability policies and treatment methods related to the management of CDW and green building regulations.

Purpose: This study reviews policies, green building regulations, key performance indicators (KPIs) and management methods related to construction and demolition waste (CDW) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It aims to develop a holistic framework based on the 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) principles to assess the current status of circular economy (CE) deployment and identify key determinants for efficient CDW management.Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method approach was used, including desk-based searches, systematic literature reviews and searches of official government websites to review existing CDW management policies and methods in the UAE. Scholarly databases were reviewed to identify CDW management challenges from a 3R perspective. A conceptual CE framework based on the 3R principles was developed using the study's findings.Findings: The study provides a comprehensive review of CDW management in the UAE, analyzing associated management challenges in the construction sector. It proposes a holistic 3R principles-based framework, emphasizing strategic steps in the building lifecycle, site waste management (SWM) plans, drivers for circular construction and systematic adoption guidelines for effective CE deployment to achieve sustainable CDW management in the UAE construction sector.Originality/value: This study explores existing policies and challenges in CDW management in the UAE and offers a 3R principles-based framework for CE deployment in the construction sector. It provides valuable insights for manufacturers of recycled products and for integrating circularity into construction projects’ design and procurement processes.

The construction sector is a significant global contributor to resource consumption, waste generation, and carbon emissions, making the adoption of Circular Economy (CE) principles crucial for sustainable development and decarbonization. This study conducts a comparative analysis of construction and demolition waste (CDW) management strategies in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two countries that represent distinct regulatory and economic models. The UK’s compliance-driven approach, characterized by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), landfill taxation, and mandatory digital tracking, has institutionalized material recovery; however, it continues to rely on downcycling and faces challenges related to market standardization and integration with SMEs. Meanwhile, the UAE’s innovation-led, incentive-driven strategy has stimulated early-stage circular practices through public investment and flagship projects; however, it struggles with enforcement gaps and fragmented secondary markets. The analysis highlights that neither strict regulation nor voluntary incentives alone ensure the adoption of systemic CE. Grounded in a comparative, multi-level institutional perspective, the study develops a hybrid implementation model that integrates regulatory enforcement, innovation facilitation, and market incentives to enhance circularity across the construction value chain. The model is structured around five strategic pillars and supported by enabling conditions such as governance capacity and institutional coordination. It promotes a shift from basic recovery to higher-value circularity through strategies such as design for deconstruction and digital traceability. The study concludes with strategic recommendations for policymakers and industry stakeholders to strengthen regulatory frameworks, enhance technological integration, and foster inclusive market development for sustainable and low-carbon construction.

The construction sector plays a critical role in global sustainability transitions due to its high consumption of virgin materials, substantial generation of construction and demolition waste (CDW)...

Purpose: Circular economy (CE) implementation in the construction sector remains uneven and fragmented, despite growing strategic and policy attention. A central reason is the misalignment between stakeholder roles, decision authority and lifecycle-specific implementation requirements. This study aims to develop a lifecycle-based systems-thinking framework that explains how different stakeholder types shape the formulation, translation, execution and adaptation of CE strategies across the building lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science, covering peer-reviewed publications from 2015 to 2025. A three-phase research design was adopted: (1) systematic identification and screening of relevant literature following PRISMA guidelines, (2) qualitative content analysis combined with matrix-based thematic synthesis to classify stakeholders into functional roles and to map their lifecycle-specific requirements, barriers, enablers and CE strategies and (3) systems-oriented synthesis to integrate the mapped relationships into a lifecycle-based, stakeholder-centric framework for CE implementation in construction. Findings: The findings indicate that existing CE frameworks inadequately explain how circular strategies are translated into practice across lifecycle stages. Prevailing approaches implicitly assume that the presence of enablers leads to implementation, overlooking how decision authority, discretionary capacity and information continuity are distributed among stakeholder roles. Consequently, responsibility for circular delivery is frequently transferred to downstream actors who lack control over strategic intent, contractual mechanisms and enabling infrastructures. This structural misalignment results in systematic dilution of circular intent beyond early project stages and constrains learning from operation and end-of-life performance, contributing to persistent gaps between circular ambition and realized outcomes. Originality/value: This study advances CE research by moving beyond static barrier–enabler perspectives toward a stakeholder-centric, lifecycle-based systems explanation of CE implementation. By explicitly linking stakeholder functional roles, strategy translation processes, execution under differentiated discretion and adaptive feedback mechanisms, the proposed framework provides a robust analytical foundation for policy design, project governance and future empirical and modeling-based research in the construction sector.